Steve Aoki to undergo vocal cord surgery

Top DJ Steve Aoki has been forced to cancel a series of gigs as he prepares to undergo vocal cord surgery.

The electronic dance hitmaker told Billboard magazine he has a large nodule on his vocal cord that requires invasive surgery, and he took to Facebook.com on Thursday (14May15) to share the disappointing news to fans.

In the video, Aoki says, "For the past 20 years, all the screaming at my shows have severely messed up my vocal cords. I've prolonged this surgery for quite some time, and the doc said it's now or never.

"If I don't save my voice, I won't have one soon. I don't have a choice. It has to be done. I'm really trying to cancel the least amount of shows as possible."

In order to undergo the surgery and rest for recovery, Aoki has axed five stops on his European tour, including gigs in Ibiza, Spain, the Netherlands, and two cities in the U.K.