One of Scotland's most beloved musicians has fallen seriously ill while on holiday in Mexico.

Alan Longmuir, bass guitarist of the Bay City Rollers, was rushed to hospital on Thursday and is described as "extremely unwell" due to a virus attacking his organs.

The 69-year-old had been on holiday with wife Eileen before being taken to Galenia Hospital in the coastal city of Cancun.

His wife has stayed by his bedside and his condition is believed to be improving "slightly".

The tartan-clad Edinburgh band were massive in the 1970s thanks to timeless hits such as Bye Bye Baby and Shang-A-Lang and were swarmed everywhere they went by adoring fans.

The Facebook page Bay City Rollers Pen Pal Reunion, for fans of the band who had written to each other in the 1970s looking to reunite, shared the news of Alan's illness.

A post said: "Unfortunately we need to inform all our friends that Alan has been taken seriously Ill whilst holidaying in Mexico.

"He has been admitted to hospital and is currently receiving Specialist Care for a virus that is attacking his vital organs.

"He is extremely unwell at the moment but has improved slightly since treatment has commenced.

"Eileen is with him and has been beside him throughout this awful situation.

"Please be assured that he is receiving excellent care and both Alan and Eileen would like to sincerely thank all the medical professionals and administration staff at the Galenia Hospital, Cancun for all their help during Alan's illness."

During their heyday, the band sold more than 120 million records worldwide and toured the globe, with huge fanbases in Canada, Japan and Australia.

Late in 2015, three members of the classic lineup - Alan Longmuir, singer Les McKeown and guitarist Stuart Wood - reunited for a series of shows nearly three decades on from their initial break-up.

For years the band had claimed they were swindled out of millions in royalties with some of the members taking action against their old label Arista Records the US courts.