French singer Hallyday hospitalized for bronchitis

PARIS (AP) — Johnny Hallyday, the French entertainer famed for his Elvis-like style and gravelly voice, was briefly hospitalized with a severe case of bronchitis, his producer said.

The hospitalization Sunday on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe was a “precautionary measure,” the Sipa news agency quoted producer Gilbert Coullier as saying. The 69-year-old singer was on a summer break from his tour that is still slated to resume in October.

The hospital said in a statement Monday that Hallyday was healthy enough to be discharged and would head to the nearby island of Martinique, where follow-up tests could be done.

In a tweet, Hallyday’s son David thanked well-wishers and added, “The news is good, which reassures us tremendously.”

Hallyday has been popular in France for five decades, bringing his own combination of American culture and French songs to packed concert halls.