Cher has been forced to postpone her upcoming North American tour due to an acute viral infection.

The music icon was scheduled to begin the second leg of her Dressed to Kill tour on Thursday (11Sep14) in Albany, New York, but she has been placed on full bed rest for several days, her representative confirms to Billboard.com.

In addition to the Albany date, a gig in Manchester, New Hampshire slated for 13 September (14) has also been cancelled. Both concerts have been rescheduled for October (14).

Cher's tour will now kick off on 15 September (14) in Allentown, Pennsylvania and run until mid-November (14).

The first leg of the Dressed to Kill tour opened in March (14) and all 49 of her shows were sold-out, grossing a reported $54.9 million (£34.1 million) in ticket sales.