Yothu Yindi Leader Mandawuy Yunupingu Rushed To Hospital

Yothu Yindi frontman Mandawuy Yunupingu was airlifted to a Darwin hospital yesterday after collapsing in his home community in East Arnhem Land.

Yunupingu has had an enormous week, with his band being inducted to the ARIA Hall of Fame last Thursday night after his band performed their massive hit song Treaty on stage at the ARIA Awards with help from Peter Garrett, Paul Kelly, Dan Sultan, Jessica Mauboy and Andrew Farris.

The artist has struggled with kidney disease for some time, spending the past half-a-decade as a renal patient.

Upon accepting the award, Yunupingu made mention of the disease and urged Australians to stand up and "to understand and fight this deadly disease".

Speaking with the ABC today, the band's former manager Alan James said that it could be the excitement of the past week catching up with the legendary artist.

"I can only surmise that all of the exertion of the last week and all the excitement was a bit too much," James said.

"He did have to do dialysis in Sydney last week, on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

"I guess we are just hoping that he didn't pick up anything nasty in the Sydney hospital."