WASHINGTON – Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, whose songs include “Big Yellow Taxi” and “Both Sides Now” and “Woodstock” and was considered one of the pillars of the Laurel Canyon rock scene of the late 1960s and early ’70s, was taken to a hospital Tuesday, and some reports indicate that her condition is serious.
TMZ reports that Mitchell was taken to a hospital after a 911 call from her Los Angeles home at about 2:30 Tuesday afternoon. They say the call was for an unconscious woman, but that Mitchell was alert on her way to the hospital. They say she is in intensive care.
A message on Mitchell’s website reads, “Joni was found unconscious in her home this afternoon. She regained consciousness on the ambulance ride to an L.A. area hospital. She is currently in intensive care undergoing tests and is awake and in good spirits. More updates to come as we hear them. Light a candle and sing a song, let’s all send good wishes her way.”
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. Still, she released a career-spanning four-disc box set last year and appeared at Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy party in February.
Mitchell has received eight Grammy Awards, including a lifetime achievement award in 2002. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
She started her career as a street musician in her native Canada before moving to Southern California, where she became part of the flourishing folk scene in the late 1960s. 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.”
Mitchell has released 19 original albums, the most recent, “Shine,” in 2007. The anthology released last year, “Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, A Ballet, Waiting to Be Danced,” features remastered versions of 53 of her songs.
Her musical style integrates folk and jazz elements, and she counts jazz giants Charles Mingus and Pat Metheny among her past collaborators.
As with music, Mitchell taught herself painting as a child and has produced hundreds of works in ink, watercolor and acrylic.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
