Keith Richards playing a concert in China (file photo)

   BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhuanet) -- Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards has suffered a head injury earlier in the week and remained hospitalized with a concussion, Fran Curtis, a spokeswoman for the veteran band, said in a statement Saturday.

   "Following treatment locally and as a precautionary measure, he flew to a hospital accompanied by his wife, Patti, for observation," Curtis said.

    The statement gave no further details on Richards's condition or how he was injured. But Media reports said Richards hurt his head when he fell out of a palm tree at an exclusive Fiji resort, a celebrity haven. "Picking coconuts is quite common on the island," said a fellow holidaymaker at the resort. "It's just that Keith had a bit of an accident coming down.¡±"

    Richards was visiting Fiji with his wife after playing a concert in New Zealand on April 18. Along with lead singer Mick Jagger, Richards has been the backbone of the Rolling Stones since the 1960s.

    The guitarist has been unlucky in the past during Rolling Stones tours. In 1998 the band had to delay a tour after he fell off a ladder and damaged his ribs and chest.

    Another tour was put back when Richards cut his hand on a broken guitar string and the wound became infected. Enditem

    (Agencies)