Placido Domingo In Hospital With Blood Clot

Opera singer Placido Domingo is being treated in hospital for a blood clot in the lung.

The Spanish tenor has been forced to cancel five performances after he was admitted to a hospital in his home city of Madrid on Monday.

Domingo, 72, is expected to make a full recovery from the pulmonary embolism, but his publicist said his doctors had asked him to rest for up to four weeks.

Nancy Seltzer added. "He's doing very well and responding very well to treatment."

Domingo gained worldwide recognition as part of The Three Tenors, alongside the late Luciano Pavarotti and Jose Carreras.

Their performance at a concert on the eve of the 1990 World Cup became one the best-selling classical albums of all time.

The prolific singer has performed more than 140 more roles and was recently named as the new goodwill ambassador for the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation for his efforts in spreading classical music around the world.

Domingo had surgery for colon cancer in 2010, but took just 45 days off before returning to the stage.

Speaking to CBS News in December, he said: "I feel strong still. But you know, I mean, you never know how much more time you will have the voice. That's the first thing. But secondly, how the health will be and how is the strength."

A statement from the Madrid Royal Theatre said Domingo would not be appearing in his scheduled performances in the opera Il Postino at the venue later this month as well as at a separate event at Plaza Mayor on July 21.