French Rocker Back in U.S. after Health Scare

Veteran French rocker Johnny Hallyday on Friday returned to Los Angeles, where he has a home, from the Caribbean, where he was treated in hospital for his latest health scare.

The singer's manager said the 69-year-old singer planned to check in with his doctor here after being released from a clinic on the French Caribbean island of Martinique, but hopes to resume work on his latest album next week.

"Johnny will talk to his doctor on arrival (and) go home. He is due to resume recording next week," manager Sebastien Farran told Agence France Presse shortly after Hallyday landed following an overnight flight.

Hallyday flew from Martinique on a private jet after being treated for bronchitis. He had been flown there by helicopter after falling ill on nearby Saint Barts Island, where he also has a residence.

The French media has been awash this week with speculation on the health of the man dubbed the French Elvis, who was put into an induced coma in late 2009 after falling ill on a flight to Los Angeles after a hernia operation.

But Hallyday has played down the latest health scare, complaining earlier this week that "the media exaggerate everything."

The rocker has sold more than 100 million albums and played 45 major tours in a career that began in the 1960s. He is currently in the middle of another major tour.