Justin Timberlake cancels MSG gig at eleventh hour over illness

An ailing Justin Timberlake had to postpone his concert at Madison Square Garden less than three hours before he was supposed to take the stage last night.

Timberlake, who rescheduled the show for Friday, apologized on Twitter.

"There is never an easy way to do this... Unfortunately, I have to postpone tonight's show to Friday," Timberlake tweeted. "I am truly sorry to everyone that have tickets for tonight. It kills me to have to do this. I hope to see you all on Friday."

Yvette Emanuel, 45, of Long Island, bought tickets for her daughter Alexis's 13th birthday and she, her husband and younger daughter consoled the teen after they got the bad news.

"We've had tickets since September," said Emanuel outside the Garden as she calmed her crying daughter. "We rushed through dinner. We were going to try and get T-shirts."

Refunds are available for those who can't make it to Friday's show, according to Timberlake's representative.