Leonard Cohen Collapses During Set in Valencia, Spain

Canadian singer, songwriter Leonard Cohen fell ill and fainted Saturday night while on stage at the Luis Puig Velodrome in Spain during the middle of a performance. The 74 year old was three songs into his set before losing his balance and collapsing, prompting his band to stop playing and rush to his aid.

The singer was first treated by stadium medical staff before being taken by ambulance to a local hospital as a precaution where he was later released. Food poisoning is believed to be the reason.

A band member informed the venue crowd that Cohen would not be returning that evening, but that he hoped to reschedule the show for another time.

Cohen is expected to perform at Barcelona's Palau Sant Jordi venue, the final stop on his nine-concert tour of Spain, on Monday, September 21 when the singer turns 75.

Out in promotional support of the "Live in London" 2009 retrospective, the tour was a first for Cohen in 15 years. The singer quit the music industry back in the 90s, living at a Buddhist monastery in California, where he was ordained a Rinzai Zen Buddhist monk and took the name Jikhan, meaning "silence."

Cohen was forced to resume touring when he learned four years ago that his former manager Kelley Lynch embezzled millions from his retirement fund. A Los Angeles court awarded him nearly $10 million; however, Cohen has been unsuccessful in recovering any of it.

Wrapping up his Spanish dates, Cohen will head back to the U.S. for a string of dates beginning next month.