Joni Mitchell 'awake and in good spirits'

Joni Mitchell is in intensive care after being found unconscious at her Los Angeles home, reports the BBC.

The 71-year-old singer-songwriter was rushed to hospital yesterday afternoon after an ambulance was called to her Bel Air home.

A statement released on her website said Mitchell is "currently in intensive care undergoing tests and is awake and in good spirits" having "regained consciousness on the ambulance ride to an LA area hospital".

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Mitchell is best known for her 1970 hit Big Yellow Taxi and other iconic tracks such as Woodstock. She has won eight Grammy Awards, including a lifetime achievement gong. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

Sky News US correspondent Greg Milam said Mitchell had been concerned about the effects of decades of heavy smoking on her voice. "It was her smoking habit that affected her voice and [this] is why she has largely retired from performing," he said.

In December she told Billboard magazine that she had the rare skin condition, Morgellons disease. "I can't sing any more – don't miss it," she said. "I can't play any more – don't miss it. I've got all these instruments laying around and hopefully one day I'll pick them up."

Fellow artists have sent messages of support on Twitter. Boy George tweeted: "A prayer for Joni Mitchell." Billy Idol wrote: "Sorry to hear today's news about Joni Mitchell. I sang on her 'Dancing Clown' single many moons ago, all the best 4 her recovery."