Neil Young Recovering After Brain Surgery

Singer-songwriter Neil Young is recovering after being treated in a New York hospital for a potentially fatal brain aneurysm, it emerged last night.

The 59-year-old rock star underwent a successful operation last week and is now recuperating, his doctors said. Young will miss a scheduled performance today at the Juno Awards, the Canadian music industry's equivalent of the Grammys.

In a statement issued by his publicist, the Canadian-born Young said he was feeling better but was disappointed not to be able to attend the awards in Winnipeg. 'I grew up there and was really looking forward to the show, as well as spending some time with my old friends and family,' he said.

An aneurysm is a bulge in a blood vessel in which the vein becomes like an over-inflated inner tube. If the bulge breaks, causing a stroke, it can be fatal. Doctors treated Young's condition with a procedure known as 'minimally invasive neuroradiology'. This involves inserting a catheter through the groin and into the brain.

Young's long career spans more than three decades of producing hit songs. He formed his first band as a teenager in Winnipeg and is one of rock's most revered and influential figures. He was a member of Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young before going solo or performing with his long-time backing band Crazy Horse.

The first signs of Young's illness appeared in New York on 14 March, after he inducted The Pretenders in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He experienced blurred vision after the show.