Sir Elton John cancelled a US concert at the last minute yesterday, citing unspecified "medical reasons".

The 65-year-old singer was due to perform in Alabama on Friday night (March 15), but Ticketmaster announced the cancellation on its website just hours before the show was due to start.

Officials at the arena said "medical reasons" were behind the last-minute abandonment of the concert, although they did not have further details.

The venue's Facebook page posted a picture of the singer's piano already in place on the stage.

John recently announced he will unleash new album 'The Diving Board' later this year, which will mark his 30th studio album release.

The record is due to hit shelves in September, but no official release date has yet been confirmed.

John has called the album the "most piano-orientated of my career", with the singer and pianist paying homage to "everything he loves about American music".

The record has been recorded with songwriter Bernie Taupin, who has worked with John for decades.