France's biggest rock star falls into a coma

The French rock star Johnny Hallyday, 66, was in an "artificially induced coma" in a Los Angeles hospital last night after suffering complications from an operation in France last month.

According to reports, American doctors are "worried" by the singer's condition. Mr Hallyday, France's favourite rock star for half a century, has been on a gruelling "final" French concert tour, which is supposed to resume next month. There has been speculation about his health since the summer, when he announced that he had been successfully operated on for colon cancer.

First reports on Mr Hallyday's recovery were optimistic but the RTL radio station reported last night that he had been placed in an artificial coma to "avoid suffering and possible complications".