Eric Burdon undergoes surgery

Veteran rocker Eric Burdon was forced to watch the Olympic Games opening ceremony from a hospital bed after undergoing back surgery.

The former The Animals frontman checked into a hospital in California for the operation on Friday and after the surgery, he took to Twitter.com to assure fans the procedure had been a success.

However, Burdon refused to let his health crisis spoil his enjoyment of Friday's Olympic opener in London and he made sure he watched the broadcast from hospital.

In a post on Twitter.com, he writes, "Successful back surgery earlier today & in hospital room watching opening of the Olympics. Looks like it's gonna be a painful recovery..."

Early on Friday, his managers announced the 2012 release of 'Til Your River Runs Dry will be delayed until the first quarter of next year to allow the rocker time to recover. The 71 year old is expected to be back to full health within three to six months.