Melly Recovers After Gig Collapse

Octogenarian jazz legend George Melly is recovering at home after collapsing on stage in Hove on January 25th.

Speaking from their home in London’s Shepherds Bush, his 69-year-old wife Diana told BBC News that the hedonistic singer – widely known as "Goodtime George" – was "tucking into some pheasant, spinach and pasta and a bottle of beer and a couple of whiskies and looking forward to being back on stage."

Melly was taken to hospital and kept in overnight after collapsing during a performance with Digby Fairweather’s Half Dozen at Hove’s Old Market.

A spokesman for the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton said he was suffering from suspected dehydration.

Melly took part in a question-and-answer session in the first half of the show, which was part of a U.K.-wide tour, and returned to sing with the band in the second half.

After a couple of songs, he slumped in his chair and had to be helped off the stage.

The Liverpool-born entertainer and writer, a self-confessed binge boozer, has a history of health problems including emphysema and lung cancer.

He was expected to be fit to return for his next show at Eastleigh, Hampshire, on February 7th.