Rocker Dickey Betts hospitalised following freak accident

The Allman Brothers Band co-founder Dickey Betts is to undergo brain surgery on Friday (21Sep18) after hitting his head in a freak accident at home.
In a statement posted to his official website, representatives for the 74-year-old guitarist revealed that he was playing with the family dog in his backyard in Little Sarasota Bay in Osprey, Florida on Monday evening (17Sep18) when he “slipped and cracked his head, causing bleeding from the brain”.
He was rushed to a local hospital and is in a “critical but stable condition”, but he must undergo brain surgery on Friday to relieve the swelling.
In the statement, his wife Donna said, “The family appreciates all of your thoughts and prayers during this very trying time… Dickey is a notorious fighter and he is displaying that now!”
In August, Betts suffered a mild stroke at his home and had to cancel upcoming tour dates. A few days before the accident, his longtime manager David Spero said Betts was “raring to go” on tour, adding, “His recovery from his minor stroke is ahead of schedule and he has already started playing his guitar again.”
He was set to go back on the road on 1 November, but those dates have now been cancelled.
“It is very unfortunate, for all involved, that we need to cancel those shows. Please add Dickey into your thoughts and prayers,” Spero said.
The Allman Brothers Band posted on their Twitter account: “Please say a prayer for brother Dickey… Dickey Betts in critical condition after accident at his Sarasota County home.”