12:40 PM PT -- Babyface tells us, "I am saddened by the news that Anita Baker has decided to remove me from "The Songstress Tour." It's unfortunate and disheartening to see how things have played out via social media. While I was looking forward to the rest of the dates, I have nothing but love & respect for Anita and I wish her the best for the remainder of her tour."
Anita Baker and Babyface's rocky road out on tour has come to an end ... as Baker made the decision to boot him off her Songstress Tour.
AB revealed she reached her breaking point Tuesday, and felt the best course of action was to go about the tour alone. AB says for the past 24 hours, she was forced to put up with violent threats on behalf of Babyface's fans and felt she needed to cut him for her own personal safety.
Anyone salty about his absence for the remainder of the tour dates will be allowed to refund their tickets. The week kicked off in shambles as AB and Babyface fans engaged in online unpleasantries.
Fans demanded AB bill Babyface as a co-headliner, but the tour is designed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Anita's debut album "The Songstress" ... so she wanted to stay on as the project's headliner on her own.
We reached out to Babyface to see if he's stressed out over the news ... or if he's just gonna let it flow. Nothing yet!
We covered the drama in the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.
Originally Published -- 10:12 AM PT