Joni Mitchell 'hospitalised' in LA after being found unconscious at her home

The singer regained consciousness in the ambulance and was admitted to intensive care

Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith
Wednesday 01 April 2015 06:29 BST
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A statement on Joni Mitchell's website said it was awaiting word on her condition
A statement on Joni Mitchell's website said it was awaiting word on her condition

Folk singer Joni Mitchell has been “hospitalised” in Los Angeles after being found unconscious at her home.

News updates posted on the 71-year-old singer’s official site stated that Mitchell was found on Tuesday afternoon, but regained consciousness during the ambulance ride to an LA area hospital.

The Canadian artist was admitted to intensive care where she was “undergoing tests and is awake and in good spirits”.

Last night the ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ singer was “hospitalised,” according to her site. Official news of her condition has not yet been released and it was not immediately clear what illness Mitchell had.

Joni Mitchell found fame in the late 1960s

Los Angeles fire officials said paramedics answered an afternoon 911 call in Bel Air, where Mitchell lives, and took a patient to the hospital. But they could not verify her identity or give details on her condition.

The 71-year-old singer-songwriter told Billboard magazine in December that she has a rare skin condition, Morgellons disease, which prevents her from performing.

Mitchell released a career-spanning four-disc box set last year and appeared at Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy party in February.

Mitchell’s most recent album was released in 2007, and has released 19 original albums in total.

The star, who was inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1970, started her career as a street musician in Canada, before she joined the thriving folk scene of Southern California in the late 1960s, becoming a staple of its sound.

Her second album, ‘Clouds,’ was a breakthrough with such songs as ‘Both Sides Now’ and ‘Chelsea Morning,’ winning Mitchell the Grammy for best folk performance.

Her 1970 album, Ladies of the Canyon, featured the hit single ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ and the era-defining ‘Woodstock.’ The following year, she released ‘Blue,’ which ranks 30th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.

Additional reporting by AP

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