PHOENIX -- Musician Billy Preston is recovering from a serious infection of the sack encasing his heart.

His manager, Joyce Moore, said Preston had "a very catastrophic incident" but he's doing considerably better.

Preston, 59, has recorded such hits as "Nothin' From Nothin'," "Will it Go Round in Circles" and "That's the Way God Planned It."

Preston has suffered from chronic kidney failure brought on by high blood pressure since 2001. He had a kidney transplant in 2002, but the kidney failed and he's had dialysis treatments three times a week since then.

Moore denies Preston is brain dead, as some reports suggest. She said he is seriously ill and is not walking around, and he cannot speak because he has a tracheotomy.

Moore said Preston is in a facility where he can receive physical therapy and other medical treatment.

She said he does not want another kidney transplant because he doesn't think he can go through it again.

Preston is also known for playing on The Beatles' "Let it Be" album, and appeared along with the likes of Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and Eric Clapton at "The Concert for George" in 2002 -- a show honoring the late George Harrison a year after his death.

At the show, Preston played the keyboards and sang two Harrison songs, including "My Sweet Lord."