Keith Richards could suffer brain damage

Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones sits in a bus upon his arrival at the Pudong international airport in Shanghai, China, in this April 6, 2006 file photo. Doctors are concerned Richards could suffer from brain damage after undergoing two surgeries following a fall while holidaying in Fiji, the New Zealand Herald reported on Wednesday. (Nir Elias/Reuters)

WELLINGTON  - Doctors are concerned Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards could suffer from brain damage after undergoing two surgeries following a fall while holidaying in Fiji, the New Zealand Herald reported on Wednesday.

The newspaper said Richards had undergone an operation at a hospital in New Zealand on Monday to relieve a blood clot on the brain which involved drilling a hole through the skull. Subdural hematoma can be caused by mild knocks to the head.

His London publicists confirmed on Monday that he had surgery but did not disclose the details. They said it was a success and he was expected to recover in a few weeks.

The Herald said Richards had his first operation on April 28 to stop bleeding in his skull.

A spokesman at the Ascot Hospital in Auckland declined to comment on the report.

Richards' two daughters -- 21-year-old Theodora and 19-year-old Alexandra -- were also reported to have arrived at Auckland's Ascot Hospital on Tuesday to join their mother at Richards' bedside.

The 62-year-old rocker had been under medical observation in Auckland following the fall in late April.

Richards was flown to Auckland after the accident while holidaying in Fiji following the end of the Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand leg of a world tour.

Along with lead singer Mick Jagger, Richards has been the backbone of the Rolling Stones since the 1960s.

His history of arrests and drug abuse in younger years has given him the reputation as rock 'n' roll's ultimate survivor. He pokes fun at his checkered past by greeting concert audiences with the catchphrase, "Good to be here, good to be anywhere."

He has suffered his fair share of freak accidents.

In 1998, he broke three ribs and punctured a lung falling from a ladder while reaching for a book in his library. In 1990, one of his fingers got infected after he punctured it on a guitar string. In both cases, the Stones were forced to postpone concerts.