Rihanna delays tour due to illness

New York - Rihanna on Thursday delayed the start of a world tour days after the R&B star missed the Grammys, citing an illness that affected her voice.

The first scheduled show on Rihanna's Anti tour is now 12 March in Jacksonville, Florida, according to her website and notices from venues.

Rihanna had previously been due to open the tour on 26 February in San Diego, but has postponed eight shows.

The singer abruptly cancelled a performance on Monday at the Grammys, the music industry's top awards.

Her representative said at the time that the Barbados-born singer had fallen ill and was under doctor's orders to rest her vocal cords to avoid permanent damage.

A representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

Rihanna is scheduled to end the tour on 12 August in Zurich.

The Barbados-born singer toured extensively in 2013 and then briefly the following year with Eminem, but had since kept a lower profile.

She returned to the scene last month with Anti, her first full-length album since 2012.