Andrew Lloyd Webber's (74) son Nicholas (43) is seriously ill with cancer. "I am devastated that my eldest son, Nick, has a critical illness," the musical composer said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.

"As my friends and family know, he has been battling stomach cancer for 18 months," continued Andrew Lloyd Webber. "Now Nick is in the hospital. [...] We are all praying for Nick to recover," the statement continued. "He fights bravely with his indomitable sense of humour, but for now my place is with him and his family."

Staying with his son in the clinic, Andrew Lloyd Webber misses the Broadway premiere of his new musical. "Bad Cinderella" will make its New York debut on Thursday. "I won't be able to cheer for the wonderful cast, crew and orchestra on opening night," the composer said. For this reason, he had already missed the previews of the performance.

'Bad Cinderella' is a reinterpretation of the classic fairy tale with a book by Emerald Fennell (37), who won the Oscar for the script of her film 'Promising Young Woman'. Under the name "Cinderella", the musical ran from 2021 to 2022 in London's West End.

Nicholas Lloyd Webber is a composer himself, including for films and series such as the BBC production "Love, Lies and Records". He was nominated for a Grammy for co-producing the recording of the London production of Cinderella.