Depeche Mode cancelled an Athens concert Tuesday after lead singer David Gahan fell ill and was taken to hospital in the Greek capital, event organisers said.

"We regret today's performance has to be cancelled ... David Gahan fell ill in his dressing room," a concert organiser told an audience of about 20,000 waiting for the concert to start.

Depeche Mode is one of the longest-lived bands to have emerged from the early 1980s, with 45 songs in the British singles chart. The band plays post-punk, new wave music and has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide.

Gahan has been lead vocalist since the band's start-up in Basildon, Essex in 1980.

Watch a fan's perspective of the cancellation announcement at the concert below: