Liza Minnelli collapses on stage in Sweden

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Veteran entertainer Liza Minnelli collapsed on stage a few songs into a performance in Sweden's second city and was taken to hospital before being discharged on Thursday, a concert promoter said.

Minnelli collapsed during a Christmas show Wednesday night and fell off the side of the stage but was caught by a technician and escaped additional injuries, said Michael Silfverskiold, a local promoter.

"It was a terrible situation," he said. "She fell off the side of the stage. The production manager caught her."

Minnelli, 61, was appearing in a Christmas show, together with Swedish performers. It was the final show after another performance in Gothenburg on Tuesday and shows in Stockholm over the weekend.

Minnelli, the daughter of actress Judy Garland, has been a singer, dancer and actress since her childhood, appearing in numerous films and stage shows. She won an Academy Award as best actress for her performance in Cabaret in 1972.

She was discharged from the hospital Thursday morning and flown back to the United States, Silfverskiold said. He did not know the cause of the collapse and had no other information about her medical condition.

The promoter said her condition had clearly affected her performance. "You could see she was in pain," he said.

Police were called to the venue, the Scandinavium, after reports crowds of concert-goers were angry and had demanded their money back.

But police spokesman Tomas Fuxborg said by the time police had arrived at the scene there was no sign of any trouble.