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No Rihanna For Rock In Rio
Rihanna won’t take the stage at Rock In Rio Madrid this week because of the death of her grandmother.
The R&B star was set to perform July 5 in Madrid, Spain, at the Arganda Del Rey. According to the festival’s website, Rock In Rio Madrid will announce a new artist to take Rihanna’s spot soon.
Running through July 7, the festival features Swedish House Mafia, David Guetta, Pitbull, Afrojack, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Incubus, Deadmau5, Gogol Bordello and more.
Photo: AP Photo
54th Annual Grammy Awards, Staples Center, Los Angeles, Calif.
Rihanna recently paid tribute to her grandmother with a series of tweets and Instagram pictures, using the hashtag and pet name “grangranDOLLY.”
Although Rihanna posted some images of happier times and one childhood photo with her grandmother, most of the photos showed the singer’s grandmother appearing sick and frail and lying in bed. The Daily Mail reports she died June 29 from cancer.
“Goodbye #grangranDOLLY get your beauty rest until I see you,” Rihanna tweeted June 30.
That tweet was sent out the same day Rihanna performed at the Peace & Love Festival in Borlange, Sweden.
Rihanna reportedly began her June 30 set 45 minutes late, according to the Daily Mail. Some fans were reportedly unhappy with her performance, complaining online that Rihanna appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
The U.K. paper points out that during the show, Rihanna “may have been hiding secret pain” because of her grandmother’s death.