Ben Pearce cancels 2016 tour dates due to depression

Ben Pearce has just announced via Facebook that he will be cancelling his upcoming shows for 2016 due to a battle with depression.

Pearce's heartfelt and honest post revealed that his condition has become progressively worse recently.

"It is real, it isn’t talked about enough in society or the music industry and I hope my fans and fellow industry members can understand my decision. It can be easy to hide behind your social media or intoxicants and pretend it isn’t happening but that doesn’t help in the long run."

The Purp & Soul label head promised to return as soon as he can and took the time to thank his fans and supporters.

"This isn’t a goodbye forever at this stage; this is taking the time and the steps necessary to make an attempt at recovery towards leading a healthy mental state of mind. I may still be making music, I’m not sure yet what will happen. I hope I can come back from this, I know deep down I am truly grateful and lucky to be able to do this for a living.

"You’re the only reason I’m not still working in a call centre and do not for one second think I am not extremely grateful for that."

This is another example of the psychological effects the DJ lifestyle can have on an artist's psyche. Earlier this year, Benga revealed his mental health struggles, while Midland and Scuba have both shared their experiences in the past.

After sharing the statement on Twitter, Eats Everything, Jacques Greene, xxxy, Melé and My Nu Leng were among those to wish their support.

Read the full Facebook post here.

Sydney is Mixmag's US Digital Content Editor. Follow her on Twitter here