Rolling Stone Keith Richards Has Head Surgery

Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards has undergone surgery to relieve headaches caused by pressure in his head, following his fall while on vacation in Fiji.

The surgery took place after the rocker had reportedly fallen out of a palm tree while vacationing at the exclusive Wakaya Club, a private island in Fiji (See Keith Richards Out Of New Zealand Hospital). Richards had been initially treated at New Zealand's Ascot Hospital, which is where he went for yesterday's surgery. Reuters quoted Keith Richards' London publicists as reporting "The operation was a complete success and Keith is already up and talking with his family today."

The New Zealand Herald has reported that "[t]he operation was for a subdural haematoma, a blood clot that forms in the outer membranes of the brain, often from a torn vein. It can be caused by a fall or other head injury." There has been no corroboration of that fact, nor has anyone confirmed the rumor that Richards had suffered a brain hemorrhage.

At the time of the accident, the press was told that the injury was a "mild concussion". The CBS News published part of a statement made by the band, which said "Last week Keith was under observation in Auckland following a fall in Fiji and was feeling well after being examined by doctors last week. However after complaining of headaches yesterday, doctors thought it prudent to move ahead with a small operation to remove the pressure."

Reports on how Keith Richards sustained the head injury have not been confirmed. One scenario that has been widely reported has the guitarist falling from a palm tree. E Online had reported that "shortly after his accelerated descent from the palm, he supposedly mounted a Jet Ski and subsequently suffered another accident..

ABC News has reported that Keith Richards "was expected to take several weeks to recuperate." As a result, The Rolling Stones have been forced to postpone their A Bigger Bang European concert dates. The tour was originally scheduled to start in Barcelona and Madrid, Spain on May 27th and May 29th, respectively, and end in Cardiff, Wales on August 29th. The tour will now be postponed until June, according to Reuters. Full details of the rescheduled dates are expected shortly.

Keith Richards is no stranger to accidents. In 1990, Keith Richards punctured his finger on a guitar string, and the wound became infected. In 1998, Richards fell of a ladder in his library of his Connecticut mansion, which caused three broken ribs and a punctured lung. In both instances, the Rolling Stones were forced to postpone concerts.

Already on the A Bigger Bang tour, the Rolling Stones have played in North America, Japan and New Zealand, as well as big name events such as the Super Bowl XL Half Time Show. The Stones also performed at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, where they played to 1.5 million people, which is their biggest crowd ever. The Rolling Stones also made their first appearance in China on the "A Bigger Bang" tour (see Rolling Stones Rock a Censored China).

[Additional Sources: Reuters, New Zealand Herald, CBS News, E Online, ABC News]