Keith Richards Out of New Zealand Hospital

Keith Richards has been released from the New Zealand hospital he has been staying at since sustaining a concussion at Fiji's exclusive Wakaya Club. Though no official word has come down about how he sustained the concussion, it has been widely reported that Richards fell out of a palm tree while going for coconuts.

The rumors about Keith Richards' concussion have also included a tale of a Jet-Ski. E Online reports that "shortly after his accelerated descent from the palm, he supposedly mounted a Jet Ski and subsequently suffered another accident."

The BBC quoted Auckland, New Zealand's Ascot Hospital duty manager, Geoff Sparks, as saying "He has been discharged. I can categorically confirm Mr Richards... is no longer a patient in this hospital. But it was not clear exactly when he was released." Richards is said to be making "a speedy recovery".

As ABC News reports, "Band spokeswoman Fran Curtis has said only that Richards was injured earlier this week and flown to New Zealand with his wife, Patti, for observation. Her statement Saturday did not comment on Richards' condition or how he was injured. "

The alleged palm tree fall was sustained by Keith Richards while climbing the tree with another band mate, Ronnie Wood. As for the state of mind, Monsters And Critics has reported that the Wellington Dominion Post claimed "Richards had fallen five metres from a tree at the exclusive Wakaya Club resort on a Fijian island after drinking vodka all day and rum at night with fellow Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood."

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. As for this injury, the Rolling Stones are still expected to play in Barcelona on May 27th, as the kickoff of the European leg of their "A Bigger Bang" tour. Already, 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).

The Wakaya Club that Keith Richards was attending is a privately owned island in Fiji. USA Today calls the ultra-exclusive club "one of the world's most secluded and pampering hideaways. Previous guests have included Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher and Celine Dion, just to name a few. It's truly a fantasy island, where rates start at $1,900 a night ($7,600 if you stay in the 12,000-square-foot owners' villa with private cliffside pool). Included in the tab: meals and unlimited booze."

[Additional Sources: E Online, ABC News, BBC, Monsters and Critics, USA Today]

- Doug Pendrell