Rocker turned reality star Bret Michaels suffered a brain haemorrhage on Friday and was last night reported to be conscious but in stable condition at an undisclosed hospital.

A spokeswoman for Michaels confirmed reports that the 47-year-old musician was rushed to hospital with an excruciating headache and was in critical condition.

Doctors diagnosed a massive subarachnoid haemorrhage, or bleeding at the base of his brain stem. The rock singer's spokeswoman said no more information would be given until he has more tests.

Celebrity website TMZ.com reported later that Michaels was awake and talking. TMZ said it spoke to the woman who won a dating reality show with Michaels in 2008 and who was in contact with those close to the singer.

Michaels is in intensive care and will be closely monitored for the next 48 hours.

Michaels rose to fame in the 1980s at the helm of Poison, a glam-rock band whose hits included the ballad 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn'.

He was diagnosed with diabetes as a child and just last week disclosed he had an emergency appendectomy earlier this month. In a blog entry, he called it a "wake-up call to be a little bit more diligent on keeping control of my health".

In recent years, Michaels found fame as a reality TV star in such shows as VH1's dating contest Rock of Love and on the current season of The Celebrity Apprentice.