U2 have been forced to postpone the remaining 10 dates of their Vertigo '06 Tour due to "the illness of an immediate family member." The band broke the news late Wednesday night (March 8) on its Web site, explaining that the move was "unavoidable."

"Any fan of U2 will realize that this decision was not taken lightly," said Arthur Fogel, president of the Next Adventure, which had been promoting the trek.

The news brings a premature end to the band's hugely successful tour, one of the top ticket draws of last year (see [article id="1519628"]"Rolling Stones, U2 Had Top Tours Of 2005 -- But Ticket Sales Continue To Drop"[/article]). The shelved dates were to have taken the band to New Zealand, Australia, Japan and Hawaii. While the Next Adventure said the dates have been postponed and not canceled, there's no word yet on when they may be rescheduled.