K's Choice has been forced to cancel plans for the last leg of its 1998 tour because of an illness contracted by lead guitarist Gert Bettens.

According to a spokesman for the Belgian-based group, Bettens is suffering from a cerebral virus that has given him a temporary case of vertigo, and that while the guitarist was expected to make a full recovery, doctors suggested that the band abandon its U.S. tour, originally slated to run from November through December.

K's Choice has been on the road in the States on and off since playing this summer's Lilith Fair, and it is believed that Bettens caught the virus during one of those previous U.S. stints.

The group has also been forced to cancel a string of European dates because of Bettens' condition, although K's Choice hopes to return to the road in full strength in early 1999.