According to a report by This Is Wiltshire and eyewitness accounts, Morrissey was rushed to the hospital tonight in Swindon, England after collapsing on stage. While finishing the opening song, “This Charming Man,” Morrissey reportedly knelt down, fell to the floor, and was taken off stage by members of his band.

The house lights then went up and a half an hour later a rep for the venue announced, “Morrissey has left the building,” adding later, “He is seriously ill.”

** Update #1: Morrissey has been admitted to the Great Western Hospital and is in stable condition, according to Sky News.

** Update #2: Telegraph has a quote from the ambulance service: “Just after 9pm we got a call to a 50-year-old man who was reported to be reported to be suffering from respiratory problems and was unconscious. When they arrived they found a conscious patient who was not feeling well at all.”

In a recent interview with former Smiths bassist Andy Rourke, Eye Weekly’s Chandler Levack asked about a rumored story involving Rourke’s 1986 dismissal from the band in which Morrissey allegedly left a post-it note on his windshield reading: “Andy – you have left The Smiths. Goodbye and good luck, Morrissey.”

“That’s true, yeah,” Rourke said of the story. “I thought it was a parking ticket, but it was a lot worse than that.”

Well, Morrissey has gotten word of Rourke’s claims and the Moz is none too happy. Check out the statement he fired out to fan site True To You earlier today:

I am forced to defend myself - again - from a comment made by Andy Rourke last week on the eyeweekly website. It is a recurring comment whereby Andy confirms that his dismissal from the Smiths was made via a handwritten postcard from me telling Andy “you have left the Smiths.” I would like to state to anyone interested in the truth of this matter that no such postcard was ever written by me, and no dismissal postcard was ever placed on Andy’s car with my knowledge or consent, and I am naturally irked that such an alleged deed has gone down in the fairy tale footnotes of Smiths lore. If such a postcard ever existed, it is likely that an unfunny stunt was played on Andy by someone attempting Morrissey-scrawl - easily done. Secondly, Andy’s “dismissal” from the Smiths would not be a decision solely made by me, and would not be announced by me on a note bearing only my name, and it would also not be executed by a handwritten note carelessly thrown onto the hood of a car (or window-wipers, as has often been reported.) Doesn’t anyone have the wit to work this one out?

Perhaps it’s the underwhelming album art or the very un-Morrissey title, but this new release has been hanging out under the radar for a few days and it must be mentioned. On Oct. 26th, Morrissey will release Swords, an 18-track compilation of b-sides from his past three albums on CD and double vinyl. What’s more, Moz has included a Live in Warsaw bonus disc, which includes 8 songs from his 2009 tour.

Most of the Internet isn’t quite sure how these details leaked, but the apparent culprit site is none other than eBay. Check out the album cover above and the full track list below. Over and out:

1. Good Looking Man About Town
2. Don’t Make Fun Of Daddy’s Voice
3. If You Don’t Like Me, Don’t Look At Me
4. Ganglord
5. My Dearest Love
6. The Never-Played Symphonies
7. Sweetie Pie
8. Christian Dior
9. Shame Is The Name (With Chrissie Hynde)
10. Munich Air Disaster 1958
11. I Knew I Was Next
12. It’s Hard To Walk Tall When You’re Small
13. Teenage Dad On His Estate
14. Children In Pieces
15. Friday Mourning
16. My Life Is A Succession Of People Saying Goodbye
17. Drive-In Saturday (Live)
18. Because Of My Poor Education

Live in Warsaw 2009

1. Black Cloud
2. I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris
3. I Just Want To See The Boy Happy
4. Why Don’t You Find Out For Yourself
5. One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell
6. You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet, Baby
7. Life Is A Pigsty
8. I’m OK By Myself

To get Morrissey to agree to an interview is no small feat and for him to actually show up (at a celebrity cemetery no less) is even more rare. Do yourselves a favor and read Cameron Bird’s interview with Morrissey for Filter posted on Monday. It’s one of the best talks with the cryptic crooner that I’ve come across in the past couple years.

Morrissey seems to be deeply, and understandably, changed by the tragic sudden death of producer Jerry Finn before the release of the record they made together, Years of Refusal. He even seems more despondent and cynical than usual, musing on topics about death, the state of art, and this interesting bit about poet Anne Sexton:

“…the outside of her body had no relation to what was inside. So, for me, she’s steeped in mystery and interest. And, of course, she ended her life, which is greatly dignified.”

“You think so?” Bird asks.

“Well, it’s dignified in the sense that there’s only one thing we actually control in our lives and it’s whatever’s inside this envelope. It’s all we control. We’re taught to believe that power is outside of us and that other people know better, and they’re all authority figures. And the police know something that we don’t. It’s absolute rubbish—it isn’t true. We control this, absolutely and entirely. If we decide it’s time not to be here, that’s a decision of great dignity.”

Seriously, if you’re a fan of The Smiths, Morrissey, or classic interviews, just click here.

Morrissey gave his quote of the year last night at Coachella just before he walked off the stage during his song “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others”: “I can smell burning flesh and I hope to God it’s human,” he said, smelling the barbeque sold by festival vendors.

To his credit, Moz did return to the stage and continue his set, giving the explanation that “the smell of burning animals is making me sick. I just couldn’t bear it.”

As we previously reported, Morrissey usually has a strict ban on meat products at his gigs, but at festivals, anything goes.

According to NME, Morrissey’s performance included Smiths songs “This Charming Man,” “Girlfriend in a Coma,” “Ask Me,” “How Soon is Now” and his new single, “I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris.”

One cool thing about Elvis is that even when he acted batsh*t crazy he was still entertaining and strangely loveable. Look no further than yesterday’s latest Elvis auction, which included a signed black belt karate card, a couple jumpsuits, a hideous diamond and gold owl ring, and this strange poem that he penned on custom “From the home of… Elvis Presley” stationary.

Surely, Morrissey won’t be too proud of his pompadour-bearing brethren for being a possible murderer of Connecticut’s official state bird, but the last line in Elvis’s weird poem is kinda similar to Morrissey’s latest single, “Something Is Squeezing My Skull.”

Still, Morrissey cribbing from an Elvis poem is a lot cooler than Coldplay stealing from Satriani.

At Morrissey’s gig at NYC’s Webster Hall on Wednesday, the staff were forced to ban any food “that used to have a face” for fear of getting in a row with the “Meat Is Murder” singer.

“There were no deli sandwiches, sushi, pepperoni pizza or anything else that used to have a face,” a source said (via FemaleFirst). “Even the cleaning staff were happy to do their part by bringing in veggie sandwiches for lunch.”

Former employees of Morrissey claim they have witnessed members of the crew fired on the spot for breaking the singer’s strict vegetarian rules. Andrew Winters, Morrissey’s former valet driver, said, “The one overriding rule is the vegetarian one. No burgers from room service, no ham salads. I got the sense even visibly acknowledging the existence of McDonald’s would mean instant sacking.”

So if you plan to approach Morrissey for an autograph, you might want to finish that corn dog first.