photo by Chris Marden

Guitarist Dickey Betts suffered a head injury caused by a “freak accident” at his Florida home on Monday night, when the Allman Brothers Band co-founder slipped in his backyard and hit his head, causing bleeding around his brain, the Sarasota Herald-Tribute reports.

Betts is currently at a local hospital with his wife, Donna, and the Herald-Tribute relays a statement from the musician’s longtime manager David Spero, who says Betts is in “critical but stable condition.” Brain surgery is scheduled for this Friday to relieve swelling from the injury.

“The family appreciates all of your thoughts and prayers during this very trying time,” Donna says. “We are by his side giving him the strength to pull through this.”

The news comes just a day after Betts announced he was “ahead of schedule” in his recovery from a mild stroke and rescheduled some of his tour dates. Those dates, set for November in Georgia, Florida and New Hampshire, have now been cancelled due to Betts’ hospitalization.

“It was just a few days ago that Dickey was telling me how excited he was to get back in front of the fans on November 1,” Spero tells the Herald-Tribune. “It is very unfortunate, for all involved, that we need to cancel those shows. Please add Dickey into your thoughts and prayers. I’ll keep everyone updated on his expected progress.”