Liam Payne forced to cancel upcoming tour after being rushed to hospital

Liam Payne has announced the cancellation of his upcoming tour after he was rushed to hospital in South America.

The former One Direction singer took to Instagram to share the news ahead of a series of performances set to take place in South America.

Instagram/@liampayne

In his video, Payne explained he'd been diagnosed with a bad kidney infection.

"This really is the last thing I wanted to tell you but basically I've been a little bit unwell recently and basically I ended up in hospital with a bad kidney infection," Payne said.

The singer said he'd started rehearsals for the performances, but had been advised that it was 'not the best time' to attempt to continue with the tour while trying to recover from his illness.

Alongside his post, Payne wrote: "It’s with a heavy heart I have to tell you that we have no other choice but to postpone my upcoming tour of South America. Over the past week I’ve been in hospital with a serious kidney infection, it’s something I wouldn’t wish on anyone, and doctors orders are that I now need to rest and recover.

"I was beyond excited to come play for you guys. To all of you who have bought tickets: I’m so sorry. We’re working to re-schedule the tour as soon as we possibly can, but for now we will be refunding the tickets - so please look out for updates from your point of purchase.

"Thanks as always for the love and support, and look forward to seeing you soon."

Instagram/@liampayne

Payne assured fans that he had the 'best people' around him to help him on the road to recovery, and said he was 'looking forward' to getting back in front of his fans when he could.

"Hopefully we'll put on an even bigger, better show," he added.

Well-wishes flooded in for the singer after his announcement, with many fans wishing him a speedy recovery from the infection.

"Get well soon, we'll wait for you as long as needed," one fan commented.

Another wrote: "Get well soon Liam. Your health is more important for us!"

Payne's tour was set to take him to Peru, Colombia, Chile, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico over the first couple of weeks of September.

The singer initially rose to fame as a member of One Direction on The X Factor in 2010, before going solo when the band went their separate ways in 2016.