Justin Bieber collapses at London concert, returns to finish show

Justin Bieber performs in London on Monday. He collapsed offstage during Thursday's show and was treated for breathing problems, but finished the last four songs of his program before heading to the hospital.

By Christie D’Zurilla

March 7, 2013 12 AM PT

Justin Bieber reportedly collapsed Thursday night after suffering breathing problems while playing the third of four shows planned for London’s O2 arena.

After receiving oxygen from emergency personnel, the 19-year-old returned to finish his final four songs before heading to the hospital to be checked out.

Bieber told the audience he wasn’t feeling well before he stumbled backstage, according to TMZ and the Daily Mail. He fainted backstage, not onstage, his rep told the Associated Press.

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“getting better,” Bieber tweeted in the wee hours after the show. “thanks for everyone pulling me thru tonight. best fans in the world. figuring out what happened. thanks for the love.”

“tough kid. proud night,” his manager Scooter Braun said on Twittert. “once again he always finishes the show. full out. true pro. now get better and rest up! strange night but proud nt.”

Braun had taken the stage earlier in the evening to explain what was going on, according to YouTube videos shot at the concert.

“Justin got very light of breath. The whole show he’s been complaining, and he’s backstage with the EMTs and the doctor,” Braun said. “They’re telling him that they want him to go see somebody and see what’s going on with his lungs.

“He has just told me that in about five minutes, if it’s OK with you guys, he’s going to come out and finish the show. All right? So, he might not be jumping around as much and everything else. If you guys would be patient with us, we’re not trying to be disrespectful and we’re not trying to have you guys get home later, we’re truly trying to put on a show for the people of London.”

The “disrespectful” comment seemed to allude to an earlier London performance that saw Bieber taking the stage two hours late — he said it was 40 minutes — much to his young fans’ dismay. He mended fences by showing up two minutes early for the next show.

It’s been a rough week for the Biebs, who took to Twitter early Wednesday to rail against the media treatment he’s received during his London stay, which included his “worst birthday” (it wasn’t that bad, he said later) and shots of him shirtless in the winter chill as he left a show to enjoy a little pre-birthday fun at a club (at 19, he’s legal in the U.K.).

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Selena Gomez does ‘Cry Me A River’; Justin Bieber, you listening?

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