Joni Mitchell singing in New York in 2000. Joni Mitchell singing in New York in 2000. Photo: Reuters
Folk music legend Joni Mitchell is in a coma and unresponsive four weeks after she was admitted to hospital.
A friend of the singer-songwriter – who had been reportedly improving in hospital a few days after she was admitted on March 31 – had filed legal documents to obtain legal guardianship over her.
A '60s icon .. Joni Mitchell. A '60s icon .. Joni Mitchell.
Leslie Morris filed a petition Tuesday seeking to be named the folk singer's conservator because she is unconscious and unable to make medical decisions for herself. Morris is identified in a court filing as a friend of Mitchell's for more than 44 years.
The documents reportedly say the 71-year-old singer, one of the symbols of the 1960s Woodstock generation, is "so impaired as to be incapable of being assessed".
A declaration from a doctor states the 71-year-old Mitchell will likely be unable to attend any court hearings for the next four to six months, but it does not provide further details on her condition or prognosis.
Mitchell, whose real name is Roberta Joan Anderson, is known for hits including Big Yellow Taxi, and The Circle Game, as well as her role in the '60s music scene.
She received eight Grammys, the top prize in the US music industry, and she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
Mitchell has said she suffers from an ailment called Morgellon's disease, which is described as a crawling, biting or stinging sensation all over the body.
The medical diagnosis of the disease is disputed by some doctors who call it a form of psychosis.
AFP, with AP

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