British rocker Vini Reilly is taking cash donations from his fans in a bid to pay his bills after two strokes and a series of seizures left him struggling to play his guitar.

The Durutti Column frontman spent four days in hospital after falling ill in 2010, and he later revealed he was finding it tough to record tracks for a new album as he had lost some feeling in his left hand.

Now it has emerged the veteran musician is $1,920 (£1,200) in debt, can barely afford his rent and grocery bills, and is even selling off a pair of headphones to solve his cash woes.

In a post online, the star's nephew Matt Reilly writes, "Helping Vini Reilly... My uncle - The Durutti Column's Vini Reilly - has hit a bit of a rough patch money-wise, and is currently struggling to cover basic outgoings such as rent, food, electricity, etc.

"Some of you have mentioned that you'd like to make a donation to Vini, which is incredibly kind, so we've been working out the best way to do that. As Vini doesn't have Internet access, I'm going to use my PayPal account to receive any donations and forward them to his bank account... Any donation, no matter how big or small, is very gratefully received."

Matt also writes on Twitter.com, "Huge thank you for the messages of support and donations for my uncle, Durutti Column's Vini Reilly. Incredibly heartening. Amazing people... He's okay, but strokes have left him unable to play guitar properly, which means he can't work and (is) unable to pay rent, etc."

The owners of the official Durutti Column website also told fans of Reilly's struggle, writing, "Vini is in a bit of a fix money-wise and he's looking to sell a pair of his headphones so he can pay £1,200 rent that is currently unpaid. Vini's nephew Matt Reilly informs us that Vini has a pair of Grado Professional Series Ps1000 headphones that he paid £2,000 for and he'll sell them for £1,200. They are in mint condition, still under warranty and come with box. If anyone's got £1,200 and would like Vini's headphones, please contact us and we will pass on the message."