Matt Rife Taking Two Weeks Off Tour After Medical Emergency

Matt Rife's taking some much-needed time off from his comedy tour -- putting a pause on a string of shows after nearly passing out from exhaustion ... TMZ has learned.

According to a message received by upcoming date ticketholders -- viewed by TMZ -- Rife was on his way to his show at the University of Indiana to perform two shows Wednesday when he experienced symptoms of extreme exhaustion and nearly passed out.

Rife's medical team advised him to immediately take a break ... and, that's exactly what he's doing -- scheduled to pick up the tour again on June 12 in Memphis. So, 2 weeks off.

Matt's cancelled his upcoming shows at The Chicago Theatre and Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN. He's rescheduling the Chicago shows for the end of December. The Nashville show is currently cancelled with a new date TBD. If ticketholders are unable to attend future dates, they will be refunded.

The comedian was scheduled to perform 8 consecutive sold-out shows starting tonight at the Chicago Theatre... which would have broken the theatre record.

As we reported ... Rife canceled his shows yesterday at the eleventh hour -- citing a medical emergency and pissing off a ton of fans who looked forward to seeing the big-time star take the stage.

Matt apologized on his social media, writing this is the first time anything like this has happened to him, as he has been doing 40+ shows a month for a year and a half ... and, showing his love for the fans.