Barbra Streisand won't attend Cannes Palme d'Or ceremony after a knee injury

Singer Barbra Streisand performs in New York, Oct. 11, 2012.

CANNES, France — Barbra Streisand announced on Sunday that she will not attend the Cannes Film Festival ‘s closing ceremony later this week where she was to receive an honorary Palme d’Or, after sustaining a knee injury.

The festival organizers said they would still honor the singer-actor despite her absence, according to a press release that carried Streisand’s statement.

“On the advice of my doctors, as I continue recovering from a knee injury, I am sadly unable to attend the Festival de Cannes this year,” she said in the statement. “But I am deeply honored to receive the honorary Palme d’Or and had so been looking forward to celebrating the remarkable films of the 79th edition.”

“I was also very much looking forward to spending time with colleagues whom I so admire — and, of course, returning to France, a place I have always loved,” Streisand added. “My heartfelt thanks to the Festival, and to everyone who continues to support and champion the art of cinema.”

During its opening ceremony, the Cannes Film Festival gave Peter Jackson an honorary Palme d’Or.

It also surprised John Travolta on Friday with one ahead of the premiere of his directorial debut, “Propeller One-Way Night Coach” at the Cannes festival.