LeAnn Rimes undergoes surgery for leg infection

LeAnn Rimes

LOS ANGELES - Country music singer LeAnn Rimes underwent outpatient surgery today for an infected leg injury, forcing her to cancel three upcoming weekend appearances while she recovers, her publicist said.

Rimes, 23, who resides in Nashville, Tennessee, took time out of her This Woman tour to undergo the operation at an undisclosed Los Angeles hospital and will remain in the area during her recuperation, spokeswoman Diana Baron said.

"The surgery went well, and she's absolutely fine," Baron said, adding that Rimes is expected to resume her performance schedule with engagements on July 19-20 at the Country Thunder USA and Country Jam USA festivals in Wisconsin.

But she was forced to scrub three dates this week -- one tomorrow in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, and back-to-back shows on Friday and Saturday in Niagara Falls, Ontario -- while she heals from the surgery.

Baron said Rimes suffered a "tear in the tissue" of one of her legs, which then became infected, requiring immediate attention. She gave no further details of the nature of the singer's injury or how it was sustained.

Last April, Rimes was briefly sidelined by a burst blood vessel in her throat, which kept her from using her voice for two weeks. The following month, she was forced to miss an appearance at the Country Music Association festival due to long-overdue dental surgery.

The two-time Grammy Award winner has been touring in support of her latest album, This Woman, which has produced four hit singles, the latest of which, Something's Gotta Give, topped Billboard's country singles chart last month.

Rimes, born in Jackson, Mississippi, and raised in Garland, Texas, burst on the scene at the age of 13 with her debut single Blue.

- REUTERS