Joni Mitchell: Brain Aneurysm Diagnosed in Iconic Folk Singer

by Clyde Hughes
newsmax.com
June 1, 2015

Award-winning folk singer Joni Mitchell had suffered a brain aneurysm when she was found unconscious in her home on March 31 and now has been moved from the hospital to a rehabilitation center.

Roger Friedman of Showbiz 411 said he was told about the brain aneurysm diagnosis by a source, adding that while Mitchell, 71, is having problems speaking, she is using other methods to communicate.

"I am told definitively that she didn't have a stroke, and that's a relief," said Friedman. "Recently Joni was moved to a rehab facility. The word among her friends is that her pal, Leslie Morris, who stepped in to take care of her, is trying to arrange a way Joni can continue her rehab at home."

"'It's a long way to go, but she can do it,' a friend tells me," said Friedman. "Morris, who is said to be an excellent choice for all this, has not returned emails I've sent her. But the news is encouraging for Mitchell, who will be 72 this November. She is not unresponsive, as other outlets have suggested."

Billboard reported an insider as saying Mitchell's condition is still "very serious" as she continues to recover at the rehab facility.

Morris was appointed Mitchell's conservator after a hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court, People magazine confirmed last month. A temporary conservator was named to "provide for temporary care, maintenance and support" for Mitchell but wasn't authorized "take possession of money or any other property without a specific court order," said People.

There hasn't been an update on Mitchell's website since April 28. The last one stated the singer, who has won eight Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, was expected to bounce back.