Willie Nelson health update: Country legend hospitalised during performance with breathing problems

Country icon Willie Nelson has sparked fresh concern for his health, after he was forced to cut a Salt Lake City concert short due to breathing problems.

According to Billboard, the 84-year-old star, who has long suffered from medical issues, was rushed to the hospital on Sunday (13 August) during his performance at the USANA Amphitheatre.

The Georgia On My Mind crooner has since taken to Twitter to reassure fans that he is "feeling better".

"This is Willie," he wrote. "I am sorry to have to cut the SLC show short tonight. The altitude got to me I am feeling better now & headed for lower ground."

USANA Amphitheater, a 20,000-capacity venue, is located in West Valley City, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City, with an altitude of 4,300 feet.

The latest health concern comes days after rumours began circulating that Nelson had died after a major US country music station prematurely announced news of his passing. He has been the target of various online death hoaxes over the years.

In March, his publicist Elaine Shock was forced to release a statement that the musician was "perfectly fine" after Radar Online quoted an anonymous source stating he was "deathly ill".

Nelson has battled with a string of health problems during his illustrious career. In 1981, his left lung collapsed while swimming. In 2012 he cancelled a planned concert due to complications emerging from a long battle with emphysema. He underwent stem-cell therapy in 2015 in an effort to improve his lung capacity amid ongoing issues with pneumonia.

Earlier this year he cancelled two performances of Willie Nelson & Family: Vegas on my Mind in Las Vegas after being struck down by a with a "bad cold".