The American rock band Foo Fighters have cancelled the rest of their European dates, planned for the rest of this month, because of frontman Dave Grohl’s broken leg.

He fractured his fibula, falling off the stage during a concert in Gothenburg in Sweden last Friday. He returned to complete the gig, sitting down, after having his leg put in a plaster-cast.

But after surgery in London, to have six metal pins inserted in his leg, a statement on the band’s website said doctors told him to cancel the remainder of the band’s dates in Europe.

The forty six year old singer, guitarist and drummer said the most important thing now was for him to recover from the surgery. “I’m not out of the wood folks yet,” he said on the band’s website. He apologised to fans, saying, “You know I hate to do it, but I’m afraid it’s just not physically possible for me at the moment,” promising to return as soon as possible.

The band have had to cancel this weekend’s two performances at Wembley Stadium, as well as a gig in Edinburgh and a festival near Brussels, after already having cancelled shows in Switzerland and the Netherlands.

But the biggest gig would have been as the Friday headlining act at Glastonbury.

The organisers have wished him all the best for a full and speedy recovery and say they’ll announce a new Friday night headlining act soon.