Rod Stewart clears air on retirement rumours after cancer battles

Rod Stewart is setting the record straight about his retirement speculations.

Stewart kicked off his 2023 summer tour on Saturday, June 24, with a show at Home Park Stadium in Plymouth in southwest England.

The legendary Maggie May crooner, 78, is sharing the stage with Boy George and Culture Club for the first five gigs of his 40-plus show trek that will see him also play Spain and Portugal before heading to North America through the summer months.

More shows will follow starting in November, that's all part of his plan to make this the 'last time 'round' belting out his classic songs on 'the big rock 'n' roll tour.'

But make no mistake, Rod The Mod isn't retiring from music and performing, as some recent reports might have fans believe, but instead wants to shift to swing music and his Great American Song Book catalog.

By making these two announcements during the promotion of the tour, Stewart also sent a message to some of his eight kids (ranging in age from 59 to 12) who were reportedly trying to get the rocker to slow down and retire so he can 'focus on his health and his family.'

Calls for the London, England, native to sail into retirement after more than 50 years in the spotlight come in the wake of him being diagnosed with cancer two times.

In 2019, the I Don't Want To Talk About It singer–songwriter revealed he had beaten prostate cancer after a three-year battle full of treatments.

And that came nearly two decades after he beat thyroid cancer in 2000.

His serious health issues don't end there. The Grammy winner had to undergo knee replacement and ankle fusion surgery following a soccer injury in April 2020.

During a phone interview in promotion of the tour the legendary singer made a point of getting the word out that he's absolutely 'not retiring.'

Hitting the message home to People, he repeated 'no' six times when asked if he was retiring.