Ronnie Wood comments on Rod Stewart's Faces reunion cancellation

Ronnie Wood says he is disappointed but he understands that Rod Stewart had to cancel his reunion with the original lineup of the Faces for their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, which is scheduled to take place in Cleveland on April 14, 2012. On April 13, it was announced that Stewart would be unable to attend because he has the flu. Simply Red lead vocalist Mick Hucknall, who has been the singer in a revamped lineup of the Faces, will fill in for Stewart at the Faces' performance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony.

Wood was the original guitarist for the Faces before he joined the Rolling Stones in the mid-1970s. The other original members are drummer Kenney Jones and keyboardist Ian McLagan. Ronnie Lane, the original bass player for the Faces, quit the band in 1973, and he was replaced by Tetsu Yamauchi until the band broke up in 1975. Lane died of multiple sclerosis in 1997. The surviving members of the original Faces lineup have had occasional reunions in the 1980s and 1990s. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performance would have been the Faces' first reunion performance of the original members since 1993.

According to Billboard, Wood made these remarks at a press conference about Stewart's cancellation: "We were completely gutted by the news. Rod was totally gutted by the way ... [His doctors] aren't even letting him fly."

Stewart released a statement saying, "I'm absolutely devastated. Shattered that I'm going to miss my second induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - and this time alongside my mates."

Stewart's first Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction was in 1994, as a solo artist. He was unable to attend due to the Los Angeles earthquake that derailed his travel plans.

Wood's first Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction was in 1989, as a member of the Rolling Stones. Jones was first inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, as a member of the Who. Jones and McLagan will also be inducted as members of the Small Faces, the band that preceded the Faces.

The news of Stewart's cancellation comes just two days after Guns N'Roses lead singer Axl Rose wrote an open letter saying that, for "personal reasons," he is refusing his 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction with Guns N'Roses.

At the press confernece, Wood quipped: "Lead singers are dropping like flies. Rod, Axl Rose …" Wood then joked that Rose might fill in for Stewart at the last minite. "He might do it for us. He definitely won't do it with GnR."

The show will go on, and Wood said at the press conference that surprise guests may be joining the Faces on stage.

HBO will premiere an edited version of the 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony on May 5.