Joni Mitchell fans were saddened earlier this week to learn that the 72 year-old folk singer had suffered an aneurysm in March that sent her to the hospital. This morning, Mitchell’s conservator Leslie Morris acknowledged the aneurysm to the press, and assured fans that Mitchell is expected to make a strong recovery. Mitchell is at her home in Los Angeles, speaking well, and growing strong again.
A California court appointed Morris as Mitchell’s conservator in May. The judge based the decision on the fact that Mitchell could not make health care decisions for herself, and she has no surviving relatives. Mitchell is a beloved rock music hall-of-famer, and she has won eight grammies over the course of her beautiful songwriting career. She is originally from Canada.
Last week Mitchell’s ex-lover David Crosby made public speculations in the Huffington Post that Mitchell was not yet speaking after her aneurysm, but a more recent statement from Morris refutes Crosby’s claim. “Joni did in fact suffer an aneurysm,” Morris said. “However, details that have emerged in the past few days are mostly speculative. The truth is that Joni is speaking, and she’s speaking well. She is not walking yet, but she will be in the near future as she is undergoing daily therapies.”
Crosby dated Mitchell in the 1960s, but it is unclear whether or not he has any authority on her current medical condition. The musician has previously stated that she was suffering from Morgellons disease. Morgellons syndrome is an extremely rare disorder in which the patient believes him or herself to be perpetually suffering from illness. It is therefore especially tragic that Mitchell did eventually suffer from such a distressing health problem as an aneurysm. However, she is also quite old, after having led a particularly full life.
Mitchell is also a painter. She began her career by busking for spare change in the streets of Toronto. She has lived all over the United States, from New York to California to Michigan. She is widely considered to be a pioneer in contemporary folk music. She wrote a lot of music for the piano, and it is interesting to note that most of the music she composed for guitar used a guitar that was tuned to a non-standard format.