Folk singer Joni Mitchell's website says she is alert, expected to make full recovery

LOS ANGELES (AP) —Conflicting information about Joni Mitchell’s health was released Tuesday, with a longtime friend stating in a court filing that the singer was unconscious and unable to care for herself while a statement from the Grammy winner’s website stated she is alert and expected to make a full recovery.

Mitchell has been hospitalized since March 31 for undisclosed reasons. Her longtime friend Leslie Morris filed a petition to become Mitchell’s guardian on Tuesday, stating that the singer-songwriter was unable to care for herself.

Within hours, Mitchell’s official website stated that ‘‘She comprehends, she’s alert and she has her full senses. A full recovery is expected.’’

Morris’ court filing was accompanied by a doctor’s declaration stating that Mitchell would be unable to attend a court hearing for four to six months, but it included no additional details on her condition or prognosis. Dr. Paul Vespa checked a box signed on Saturday indicating that Mitchell was unable to participate in her medical care.

Leslie Morris, who is identified as a friend of Mitchell's for more than 44 years, filed a petition Tuesday to be named conservator for the Grammy-winning singer.

Morris is not seeking control of Mitchell's estate. She is seeking the appointment because Mitchell does not have any family who can serve as her conservator.

The 71-year-old Mitchell was hospitalized March 31 after being found unconscious in her Los Angeles home. No updates about her health have been posted to her website or Twitter account since early April, when a message stated she was resting comfortably and improving.

Phone messages for Morris and her attorney, Alan Watenmaker, were not immediately returned.

The filing was first reported by celebrity website TMZ.

Mitchell has received eight Grammy Awards, including a lifetime achievement award in 2002. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

She started her career as a street musician in her native Canada before moving to Southern California, where she became part of the flourishing folk scene in the late 1960s. Her second album, "Clouds," was a breakthrough with such songs as "Both Sides Now" and "Chelsea Morning," winning Mitchell the Grammy for best folk performance.

Her 1970 album, "Ladies of the Canyon," featured the hit single "Big Yellow Taxi" and the era-defining "Woodstock." The following year, she released "Blue," which ranks 30th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time."

Her musical style integrates folk and jazz elements, and she counts jazz giants Charles Mingus and Pat Metheny among her past collaborators.