HONG KONG -- Hong Kong pop star Jacky Cheung has canceled two shows in his hometown of Hong Kong due to illness in the middle of his world tour, the tour Web site said Tuesday.

News reports Tuesday said Cheung, one of Chinese pop's biggest acts, had a cold and couldn't hit all his notes.

The Web site for the world tour said the singer canceled his scheduled shows at the Hong Kong Coliseum Sunday and Monday due to an unspecified illness. The notice offered ticket holders either a refund or entrance to two Cheung concerts in Hong Kong, on Jan. 26 and Jan. 27.

"I am suffering from a serious cold ... I apologize to audiences who have bought tickets," the Ming Pao Daily News quoted Cheung as saying at a news conference Monday.

"I can't sing a third of the planned songs ... I can't do things I usually can do easily," Cheung said, according to the Apple Daily newspaper.

Cheung's world tour kicked off on Feb. 18, with stops in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Toronto and various Chinese cities.

Cheung said he expects to recover in time for a Friday show in the northeastern Chinese city of Changchun.

He also has upcoming dates in Sydney, Auckland, Kuala Lumpur and Indonesia, as well as more scheduled shows in China.