Kidney stones force rocker Vince Neil from stage

Vince Neil performs in Las Vegas in 2010. The 52-year-old Motley Crue singer was kept overnight at the hospital on Sunday.

Severe pain" from kidney stones forced Motley Crue singer Vince Neil to cut short a show in Sydney on Sunday night and check into a hospital, his manager and a bandmate said.

"He was doubled over on his dressing room floor five minutes 'til show time and was told by the promoter to not even play, but Vince said he couldn't do that to the fans," guitarist Nikki Sixx told fans on his Facebook page. "I've seen Vinnie go onstage with broken bones, his voice completely blown out and torn ligaments but he never ever cancels. Just like an athlete you sometimes have to play through the pain, but last night it became to excruciating."

After four songs, Neil gave up and walked off stage and was taken to a hospital, Sixx said.

Neil, 52, underwent surgery for the kidney stones, band manager Allen Kovac said Sunday. "Vince is in the recovery room," he said. "All went well and we will know more soon."

"He has been having problems for the last few days with kidney stones," Kovac said.

The next show on the group's Australian tour, in Brisbane on Tuesday, is still scheduled, he said.

"The doctors said everything went well in the operating room," Sixx said. "I am going to the hospital to see him before I head to Brisbane."

"Vince is a warrior who has played shows through a wide ranging list of injuries. If there is a way to safely perform, he always does," Kovac said. "In nearly 20 years of managing Motley Crue, I can't recall a show the band has canceled."