Joni Mitchell Had An Aneurysm In March, Remains In Serious Condition

When Joni Mitchell was hospitalized this March, we were given the devastating news that she was in a coma. Our nerves were calmed when it was reported she wasn’t in a coma at all, but simply had a “minor medical emergency” and was “getting stronger” every day. Today we’ve received a new, less calming update: Billboard is reporting Mitchell’s hospitalization was due to a brain aneurysm, and that she’s currently in “very serious condition.”

Mitchell, 71, was found unconscious in her Los Angeles home on March 31. A new report by Showbiz 411 claims “speech is difficult” for Mitchell, “but she’s communicating.” An insider tells Billboard Mitchell was expected to be moved to a rehab facility.

To get your mind of this depressing Friday update, take a few minutes to watch a significantly less dark bit of Joni content recently released by PBS. As part of their Blank on Blank series, they took audio of an 1986 with Mitchell and paired it with four minutes of charming animation. In it, you’ll hear Mitchell discuss how she deals with fame, her naiveté when new to show business, and why she’d “rather be dancing.”