Bruce Springsteen cancelled a weekend concert in North Carolina to protest a new state law barring transgender people from choosing public toilets consistent with their gender identity.
The cancellation comes as a number of US states consider legislation seen as discriminatory to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights.
Springsteen, whose lyrics and actions have earned him a reputation for low-key political activism, said cancelling the concert was the strongest way for him to show his opposition.
"Some things are more important than a rock show and this fight against prejudice and bigotry - which is happening as I write - is one of them," he said in an online statement.
Fans will receive refunds for tickets to the concert that was scheduled for tomorrow in Greensboro, North Carolina, it said.
The US South has been at the forefront of a backlash to a US Supreme Court ruling last year that legalised same-sex marriage.
This year, more than a dozen states have considered laws that would restrict public toilet access for transgender people, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
A related law signed in Mississippi this week allows people with religious objections to deny wedding services to same-sex couples and permits employers to cite religion in determining workplace policies on dress code, grooming and bathroom and locker access.
South Carolina politicians introduced a measure that would require transgender people to use public toilets matching their sex at birth, and Tennessee is considering a similar measure for students in public schools and colleges.
Pop singer Miley Cyrus, a Tennessee native, and country music stars Emmylou Harris, Ty Herndon and Chely Wright blasted the proposed legislation in the state renowned as the home of country music's capital, Nashville.
Hollywood celebrities and business leaders took a stand against a similar so-called religious liberty bill that passed in Georgia, and the state's governor vetoed it last week.
In his statement, 'The Boss' saluted activists and business leaders who have spoken out against North Carolina's law.
Notably, online payment giant PayPal scrapped a $3.6 million investment in North Carolina and the National Basketball Association has warned that it may pull next year's All-Star Game from the state.
The governors of New York and Washington and a number of other local leaders have banned non-essential travel by officials to North Carolina.
North Carolina's Republican governor, Pat McCrory, signed the law last month after its passage by the state legislature in response to a non-discrimination ordinance approved by Charlotte, the largest city in the state.
