Dolcy D'cruz
Goa’s beloved pop icon Remo Fernandes has cancelled his much-anticipated performance at the UK-Goan Festival due to a serious health condition. In a heartfelt Facebook post, the 72-year-old revealed he will undergo an urgent Burr Hole Procedure on July 16.
Known as a pioneer of Indian pop music, Remo Fernandes has a huge fan following in Goa and around the world. As Goans in the United Kingdom and across Europe eagerly awaited his first concert exclusively for the UK-Goan community, his sudden announcement came as a midnight shock. In his post, Remo explained that the upcoming surgery had made it necessary to cancel his August 3 performance in London.
In his signature evocative style, Remo — who famously authored The Autobiography of Remo Fernandes — shared that he had a nasty fall in his hotel room while attending the Valladolid Literary Festival in Spain, hitting his head on the floor. Upon returning to Porto, Portugal, where he currently resides, he initially felt fine. However, he soon began experiencing persistent headaches and balance issues. A recent MRI revealed significant and progressively worsening internal cranial bleeding. He consulted highly reputed neurosurgeon Dr Oscar Alvas.
The 72-year-old singer wrote in his post: "His verdict: 'You have a serious bleeding in your cranium. And it’s increasing alarmingly. Look at the first image and that of 10 days later.' And I saw the increase. Alarming indeed. 'This blood is what is pushing your brain against the skull bone. And this is what is causing your disequilibrium and headaches. You need to be operated upon urgently.'"
He also shared the stress he felt about informing Ravi Vaz, president of the Goan Association (UK): "I was stressing myself out about giving this news to Ravi Vaz, the president of the GOA London. To my great relief, he was extremely understanding, kind and caring when I informed him about it the next morning. My apologies to the great UK Goan population, for whom I was looking forward to perform for the first time."
He continued, "Please send up a little positive thought or prayer for my operation which has been scheduled for 16th July '25."
He ended the post by saying, "The good wishes which have started pouring in are actually bringing tears of gratitude and love to my eyes."
Speaking to Herald, Ravi Vaz confirmed that the UK-Goan Festival concert is firmly scheduled for August 3. "For over 40 years, we’ve organised this for the community, and since 2011 we’ve grown significantly at our current venue, Cranford Community College in Hounslow, London. Our focus isn’t just on a one-day show — it’s about lasting community support. That’s something Remo recognised."
Ravi also recalled his conversation with Remo the previous evening. "Remo said, ‘Ravi, any other organiser would have flipped with all the arrangements you’ve prepared for me. You’re the only organiser who is calm and telling me not to perform because my health comes before anything else.’ He was a little worried about how I’d react, knowing the preparation we’ve done. But our objective was never about money — it’s about the trust we’ve built with the community."
He added, "I told him that it’s not in his hands — it’s something unfortunate. He appreciated that and said he would make the Facebook post himself because he didn’t want anyone to feel misled, thinking he just didn’t show up to perform."
Last year, during the World Goa Day celebrations, Remo had a packed schedule, including headlining the Viva Goa Festival in Toronto. Regarding this year’s festival, Ravi said, "We’ve got quite a great line-up, including Goan performers like the band Black in White, Ryan Nogar and MacAttack, to entertain the crowd in the UK. We are now checking whether we can bring in another band as a replacement — we’re working on that."
Next year marks the diamond jubilee of the Goan Association UK — 60 years of serving the community.