SYDNEY, Australia -- British pop music star Elton John was 'resting comfortably' today after exploratory surgery to find the cause of throat ailments that interrupted a concert tour two months ago.
A spokeswoman for St. Vincent's hospital in Sydney said, 'Mr. John is resting comfortably after exploratory surgery.
'The surgery was successful and went well and Mr. John has recovered well,' she said.
The spokeswoman said results of the surgery would not be known for several days.
Hospital officials later said John is expected to remain in hospital until at least Friday, and has been told to rest his voice and not to speak for at least a week.
The 40-year-old singer's publicist, Patti Mostyn, said John appeared to come through the half-hour procedure 'quite well.'
'The exploratory surgery took about 30 minutes but we won't know the results for some time, probably Wednesday,' Mostyn said.
She said Dr. John Tonkin, a leading Australian throat specialist, performed the surgery. Tonkin was unavailable for comment.
John has been plagued by an unknown throat problem since midway through his recent Australian tour. He had to cancel the last of his Perth concerts in November when, 30 minutes before he was due to go on stage, his voice weakened and throat started to hurt.
He managed to complete the tour but his voice was noticably weaker and huskier during the last concerts in Sydney.
'He can talk but he is suffering pain,' Mostyn said before the surgery.
John has been following a punishing schedule since he began his latest international tour in America in September 1985, performing 200 shows worldwide.
Before he went into hospital Monday, John said he was not concerned.
'My throat feels OK today, which is great,' he said. 'I'm not worried about it. With any luck there won't be a full-scale operation. I don't think this throat problem will put my career in jeopardy. But I just want to get it over with.'
