Odds & Ends: Joni Mitchell, Iggy Azalea

Reports indicate it was a brain aneurysm and not a stroke that sent Joni Mitchell to the hospital in late March … Iggy Azalea’s “Great Escape Tour” is no more.

Photo: John Shearer/Invision/AP, file
Arriving at the 2015 Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Legendary singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell was hospitalized March 31.  Although several media outlets reported that the composer of “Big Yellow Taxi,” “Free Man In Paris,” and “Both Sides Now” had suffered a stroke, word from the Mitchell camp was that she was being treated for an “undisclosed condition.”  In early May Superior Court Judge Davis S. Cunningham III appointed Mitchell’s friend Leslie Morris as conservator, thereby putting her in charge of the singer’s health care decisions.

Now it appears that the ailment that sent Mitchell to the hospital was not a stroke but a brain aneurysm. That’s what ShowBiz411.com’s Roger Friedman reported today, citing friends of the singer.  Mitchell has been moved from the hospital to a rehab facility and Morris is exploring ways that the artist can continue rehab treatments at home, according to Friedman.

“She is not unresponsive, as other outlets have suggested,” Friedman wrote.  “Speech is difficult but she’s communicating.  Knowing Joni, she’s getting her ideas across without fail.”

Photo: Jack Plunkett / Invision / AP
SXSW, Austin, TX

Iggy Azalea’s “Great Escape Tour” has flown the coop.  Originally planned for the spring, the tour was moved to autumn approximately one month before its planned April 14 launch in Fresno, Calif.  At that time Def Jam Recordings announced that the rescheduling was to “accommodate for creative team availability and tour production plans.”

“It is extremely important to Iggy that she delivers the show she envisaged to share with her fans and that requires more time in development,” Def Jam said in a statement.

Now it looks as if Azalea may not tour until next year.  Many venues have already removed the artist from their calendars and at least one arena has posted the following message online:

“The Iggy Azalea Great Escape Tour scheduled for this fall has been cancelled and refunds are available at point of purchase. There will be a new tour planned around Iggy’s new record to be released in 2016 and we apologize for any inconvenience.”