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Thursday December 13, 2007

‘Cabaret’ star Liza Minnelli collapsed on stage during a performance in Sweden & has been flown back to the US for further medical examination, it has been reported.

Music promoter Michael Silfverskiold told Reuters that a crew member caught her as she fell off stage and that she escaped additional injuries.

“You could see she was in pain,” he said. “It was a terrible situation,” he said.

A concert spokesman confirmed that the star passed out as she walked off stage.

A spokesman for Liza, 61, said she was “rushed back to her hotel by her manager” after she became “very ill” during the show.

Liza was then examined by a doctor, and was then ordered to return to New York for further medical investigation.

The decision for Liza, who was previously married to I’m a Celeb star David Gest, was made after a consultation with her New York physician.

“They decided together with her management that it’s best for Liza to go to the US right away,” Mr Nedanovski said.

She had felt dizzy before getting up on stage but decided to proceed with the show anyway, he added.

In the past, Liza has struggled with substance abuse, an inevitable parallel to to her mother [Judy Garland's] personal and career challenges.

Liza has also been in rehab for her substance abuse numerous times. She nearly died from a bout of what was widely reported as encephalitis in 2000 after one rehab visit. Not everyone, however, was convinced that this disease, generally triggered by mosquito bites, was the true diagnosis.