Chris Brown cancels Australia, New Zealand tour due to domestic violence of years back.
Australia suggested in September it would block Brown's entry
due to his criminal record, disrupting plans to bring his "One Hell of a
Nite" tour Down Under.
Brown's 2009 conviction for assaulting his
then-partner pop star Rihanna also meant he could be refused entry to
New Zealand, where he was to perform in Auckland.
"Chris Brown's
December 2015 tour in both Australia and New Zealand will not take
place," Ticketek Australia said in a statement from Brown's promoter on
its Facebook page.
It gave no reason why shows in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane were cancelled.
But it said: "Mr Brown and the promoters both remain positive that the tour will take place in the near future.
"Mr
Brown wishes to express his deepest gratitude to the fans for their
support and looks forward to a successful tour in the near future," it
added.
It is not known whether Australia's immigration department
ultimately denied Brown a visa, and a spokesman saying it could not
comment on the case "for reasons of privacy".
After the prospect
of his Australia ban was first raised, Brown said he would use the tour
to raise awareness about domestic violence.
"My life mistakes should be a wake up call for everyone," he tweeted. "Showing the world that mistakes don't define you."
Brown's clean image crumbled in June 2009 after he pleaded guilty to assaulting Rihanna in a car in February of that year.
The
Grammy award-winning performer was sentenced to five years' probation
-- now lifted -- a year-long anti-domestic violence programme and 180
days of community labour.
Brown has visited Australia twice since
2009 but newly appointed Minister for Women Michaelia Cash had suggested
he may be banned this time amid heightened awareness about family
violence.
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