Singer Joni Mitchell Rushed To Hospital

The singer Joni Mitchell has been taken to hospital in Los Angeles after an ambulance was called to her Bel Air home.

"Joni was found unconscious in her home this afternoon," a statement on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer's official website said.

"She regained consciousness on the ambulance ride to an LA area hospital. She is currently in intensive care undergoing tests and is awake and in good spirits.

"More updates to come as we hear them. Light a candle and sing a song, let's all send good wishes her way."

Celebrity website TMZ quoted unnamed sources as saying paramedics were called to the 71-year-old musician's home around 2.30pm local time on Tuesday.

It remains unclear what prompted the emergency call, although Mitchell is being treated in intensive care.

The Canadian singer is best-known for hits like Big Yellow Taxi, which was famously covered by Counting Crows, and Both Sides Now.

Sky News US correspondent Greg Milam, who is in Los Angeles, said Mitchell has spoken openly about health issues in recent years, including the effects of decades of heavy smoking on her voice.

"It was her smoking habit that affected her voice and is why she has largely retired from performing," he said.

She told Billboard magazine last year that she also suffered from Morgellons disease, a controversial disease which many doctors believe to be delusional, where the skin feels like it is crawling or itching.

Mitchell has received eight Grammy Awards, including a lifetime achievement award in 2002.

She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.