Leonard Cohen, the singer-songwriter, was recovering yesterday after he collapsed on stage and was rushed to hospital during a concert in Spain.

The singer, who performed in Belfast in June, had suffered a bout of food poisoning but had been reluctant to abandon the show, the penultimate date of his tour.

The Canadian, who turns 75 on Monday, was midway through a performance of one of his most famous songs, Bird on a Wire, when he fainted after suffering stomach cramps.

Members of the audience said Cohen appeared to lose his balance half an hour into the show in Valencia as he went to pick up a guitar.

Bandmate Javier Mas returned to the stage an hour after the episode on Friday night to tell the thousands of people gathered in the Luis Puig Velodrome that Cohen was suffering from a stomach complaint and that the band hoped to reschedule the show.

Cohen was later released from hospital and was said to be recovering well at his hotel.