Creed Frontman Injured, Tour Postponed

By Serena Kappes

04/29/2002 at 01:00 AM EDT

Scott Stapp, 28, the photogenic lead singer of the multi-platinum-selling rock group Creed, was injured in a car accident when his car was struck by another vehicle. "Due to the nature of the accident, his body absorbed a 60 mile-an-hour impact," the band's spokesperson, Steve Karas, said in a written statement. When asked by PEOPLE.com about the specifics of the accident and Stapp's condition, Karas would only say that it occurred near Orlando, Fla., (the band is based in the state). "The guys are very private people. They live for their fans and the reason I put the release out is because the dates have been cancelled and they wanted the fans to know why," he added. Creed was to begin the second leg of their Weathered tour Monday in Fargo, N.D. According to the release, all the dates through May 31 have all been cancelled. (The tour is expected begin again mid-summer.) Stapp "has been advised by medical professionals to make this regrettable but necessary decision as he recuperates," the statement said. "Weathered," the band's third album, was released in 2001. It debuted at No. 1 and sold more copies in its first week than any other rock release that year, according to a biography by the band's record label, Wind-Up Entertainment. The trio -- which also includes guitarist Mark Tremonti and drummer Scott Phillips -- first found fame with their 1997 debut, "My Own Prison," which to date has sold more than 6 million copies -- thanks in part, no doubt, to their dramatic videos featuring Stapp.