German singer-songwriter Thomas Anders, who was set to perform in Israel in February, canceled his performance on Tuesday as health measures put in place to stem the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant leave foreigners locked out of the country.
Israel announced on Sunday it intends to add 10 new countries to its no-fly blacklist, including Germany.
The pop singer and TV personality, currently appearing as a judge on the German version of “The X-Factor," was booked to perform with his Modern Talking band at Menora Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv on February 1, 2022.
Organizers announced that customers who have already purchased a ticket for the show will receive a full refund to their credit cards.
This was supposed to be Anders' fourth outing in the Holy land and the first time since 2019 when he held a four-show tour across the country, including in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Be'er Sheva, and Ashkelon.
Anders came into prominence in the 1980s as part of the popular pop-duo Modern Talking, which churned out massive hits such as You're My Heart, You're My Soul; Cherie, Cherie Lady; Brother Louie; among others.
The band had sold over 120 million copies of its singles and albums combined, making them the biggest-selling German music act in history, and reaped countless awards.
Anders performed as a solo artist after the band's two break-ups during the 1990s and after 2003 and his first studio effort in his native German came only in 2017 with Pures Leben (Pure Life).