Diana Ross has raised concerns about her health after needing to cancel her upcoming performance for Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Sea’s showcase cruise.

The 81-year-old “Baby Love” singer, who opened the Henley Festival last month, was scheduled to start the three-day voyage on August 20, having been honored with the title of ‘godmother’ for the grand ship.

However, the star’s representative said in a statement to People on Tuesday, ‘Due to unforeseen circumstances, Diana Ross will be unable to appear’.

An exact reason for the sudden absence was not given, but Diana is still set to begin her Beautiful Love tour in the U.S. on August 16.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the cruise line said, ‘We are disappointed that Diana Ross is unable to join us to be godmother of Star of the Seas.’

They continued that there are plans to announce a ‘new godmother’ of the ship ‘soon’.

A few months earlier in June, Royal Caribbean announced that the singer had been named godmother of the Icon Class ship. 

She had been set to to take to the stage to celebrate the new cruise that will embark from Port Canaveral in Orlando, Florida and head to Perfect Day at CocoBay in the Bahamas. 

To commemorate the debut of the latest Royal Caribbean ship, Diana would have also taken part in a special naming ceremony with guests. 

‘I am truly honored to join the Royal Caribbean family,’ the Wiz actress expressed in a press release at the time, per PR Newswire. 

‘Having spent years of creating beautiful music and memories and bringing people together from all over the world, this feels like a perfect continuation of my journey as godmother of Star of the Seas’. 

The president and CEO of the cruise line, Michael Bayley, had also stated that the company was ‘thrilled’ to have the iconic singer ring in the debut of the Star of the Seas ship. 

‘We couldn’t imagine a more fitting godmother for Star than Diana Ross, who is a true icon known for creating music that transcends generations while celebrating life and bringing people together…’ 

While Diana will no longer take part in the showcase cruise, she is still set to begin her U.S. tour later this month on August 16 in Saratoga, California. 

The star – who is also known for being a member of The Supremes – will make stops in other cities such as Atlantic City, St. Louis, Newark and Lincoln. 

The Beautiful Love tour will officially conclude later this year in Palm Springs on December 13. 

Over the past weekend on Sunday, she shared the U.S. dates to her fans on Instagram and penned, ‘It’s good to be back home. 

‘The Beautiful Love Tour is coming to cities across the U.S. for unforgettable nights filled with music, memories, and joy’.

The I’m Coming Out hitmaker added, ‘The tour starts a week from today, on August 16th, at the @mountainwinery in Saratoga, CA. Come join the love celebration.’ 

During a recent interview with People in June, Diana opened up about her family life and how she has been prioritizing her health. 

When asked what she has been ‘up to these days,’ the performer replied, ‘Health and well-being’.

Diana continued, ‘And my family is equally everything to me. I like staying busy. Because I love what I do, it keeps me grounded. I’m swimming a lot lately to stay flexible.

‘I must get my sleep which is important to me. I do my best to eat well, but I do like Häagen-Dazs ice cream’.

In regards to aging and feeling good in her 80s, the star expressed, ‘The love of what I do keeps me grounded, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. When you can’t find the sunshine be the sunshine…’ 

Diana then added, ‘I have been very blessed in my life. I love what I do. I love my family. I love my life. I’m a happy person’.

The singer also revealed that she had asked her family to join her on the Royal Caribbean cruise before she pulled out of her performance. 

She is notably the mother of five children – including Evan Ross who is married to Ashlee Simpson – and the grandmother of eight. 

Diana gained recognition as a former member of The Supremes – one of the world’s best-selling girl groups of all time. 

Over the years, especially throughout the 60s, they dropped a number of hit tracks such as You Can’t Hurry Love and Where Did Our Love Go. 

In 1970, she left the group to launch her own successful solo career in the music industry and would go on to release hits including Endless Love, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough and Chain Reaction. 

Diana has garnered 13 Grammy nominations and received the Lifetime Achievement Award twice – once for herself in 2012 and then later in 2023 as a member of The Supremes.