Cohen Plays Three-hour Show On 75th Birthday

The veteran singer sparked fears for his health after collapsing onstage in Valencia, Spain last week (18Sep09).

His concert was cut short after he fainted mid-song and was taken to the city's Nueve de Octubre hospital, where he was treated for stomach flu.

But he was back on his feet to perform the last show of his European tour in front of 14,000 fans in Barcelona, Spain on Monday - the same day he turned 75.

The Hallelujah hitmaker was given a standing ovation as he stepped on stage at the Palau Sant Jordi concert hall, where he played for more than three hours.

And the star was moved after hundreds of fans held up lit candles handed out earlier in the evening to celebrate his special day.

His band member Dino Soldo wrote on Twitter.com, "To all the friends in Leonard Cohen's Barcelona gig, your birthday candles brought a tear to my eye. He was touched."

Concertgoers also tossed bouquets, books and teddy bears onto the stage, and the Canadian star thanked them by raising his hat and concluding the show with the parting words, "May your life be sweet as apples dipped in honey."

He is scheduled to play a concert in Israel on Thursday (24Sep09) before travelling to North America to continue his tour in the U.S. next month (Oct09).