Shawn “#6” Crahan’s wife recently underwent surgery at the Mayo Clinic for Crohn’s Disease, a serious intestinal disorder. Since her recuperation is expected to take six weeks, Crahan will remain at home in Iowa to care for his wife and three young children.

The tour was scheduled to kick off November 21 in Fargo, N.D. and wrap December 21 in their hometown of Des Moines, Iowa. The dates will be rescheduled in 2002, according to the band’s booking agent.

Slipknot apologized in a statement and said they hope their U.S. fans would understand this decision.

DJ Sid Wilson, drummer Joey Jordison, bassist Paul Gray, percussionist Chris Fehn, guitarist James Root, sampler Craig Jones, percussionist Crahan, guitarist Mick Thompson and lead singer Corey Taylor (known as 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, respectively) expect to embark on their European tour January 20 in Helsinki, Finland as planned.

The band will tour Japan, Australia and Canada in support of it’s IOWA album before returning to the U.S. for the rescheduled dates, which have not been finalized.