Rock band AC/DC are postponing the rest of their US tour as lead singer Brian Johnson has been warned he could lose his hearing.

In a statement on the band's website they said doctors had advised Johnson, 68, "to stop touring immediately or risk total hearing loss."

The group's shows, promoting their latest album Rock or Bust, will be rescheduled for later in the year, likely with a guest vocalist, the statement said.

It is the latest in a series of setbacks for the band.

Last year former drummer Phil Rudd was convicted of drug possession and making threats to kill. He served eight months of home detention.

And in 2014 the family of founding member and guitarist Malcolm Young revealed he would not be joining the band on tours as he was suffering from dementia.