Sheen: 'intoxicated' and in pain

Actor Charlie Sheen was back in rehab and production of American TV's most popular comedy, Two and a Half Men, was on hold, one day after a person who called emergency services said the actor was intoxicated and in pain.

A source said one of Sheen's neighbours told an emergency operator that the actor was "intoxicated" and complaining of abdominal and chest pain.

Sheen, 45, was taken to a Los Angeles hospital and was there until around midnight on Thursday, said his publicist, Stan Rosenfield, who cited the actor's history of hernia problems. Rosenfield said on Friday that Sheen was in rehab.

"Charlie Sheen has voluntarily entered an undisclosed rehabilitation centre," the spokesman said. "He is most grateful to all who have expressed their concern."

CBS, production company Warner Bros Television and executive producer Chuck Lorre said in a statement that Sheen's rehab has prompted a halt on production of Two and a Half Men.

"We are profoundly concerned for his health and well-being, and support his decision," the statement said.