Jimmy Barnes to undergo open heart surgery after bacterial infection ...

Musician Jimmy Barnes has revealed on social media that he is going "under the knife" after a bacterial infection he has been battling had spread to his heart. 

After contracting bacterial pneumonia, the music icon was initially expected to make a full recovery in days.

"Despite everyone's best efforts the bacterial infection I've been battling over the last fortnight has apparently now spread to my heart," Barnes wrote in a post on social media this morning.

"It's infected an otherwise healthy valve that was replaced some years ago due to a congenital defect, so I'll be getting open heart surgery over the next few hours to clear out this infection and put in a clean valve."

He thanked his wife Jane, doctors, nurses and those who have sent 'get well' messages.

Barnes had been confident he would recover in time for shows scheduled for December, January and February, but in the latest update said the health setback will "take him out of action for a while".

"As you can hopefully appreciate, this has all happened very suddenly so it's going to take a few days for everyone to figure out what's going to be doable with my upcoming shows," he said.

"I'm really sorry for all the inconvenience this will cause but please be patient while my team works hard to figure things out. A new plan will be announced as soon as possible."

This is not the first time he has had to cancel shows due to health problems.

Barnes was forced to abandon a planned tour in late 2022 to undergo emergency back and hip surgery due to "constant and severe pain".

Barnes is the former singer from Australian rock band Cold Chisel and has had a successful solo career, including anthems such as Working Class Man.