Corey Taylor has undergone surgery after "not realising" he had broken his neck.

Corey Taylor Twitter (c)

Corey Taylor Twitter (c)

The Slipknot frontman has shocked fans with the news after announcing his health meant the group have had to postpone a number of upcoming concerts with Marilyn Manson as he is unable to perform due to the "last-minute" operation.

Taking to his Twitter account, he wrote: "Basically broke my neck a while back & didn't realize it. Had 2 have disc replaced & work on vertebrae. Those 1st shows rescheduled for Aug (sic)"

Despite the shocking injury, Corey, 42, has been quick to reassure fans he is "recovering nicely" and will hoping to be ready to return to the stage with the 'Wait and Bleed' hitmakers later this month.

A statement on his official Facebook page read: "Regretfully, I'm sending this to our fans to inform you that we will be postponing the first couple of weeks of our upcoming U.S. tour.

"Unfortunately, I had to undergo an unplanned spinal surgery.

"I am recovering nicely, and all went well! I need a little recovery time before hitting the stage.

"We will start the summer tour in Nashville on 6/28 and continue as previously scheduled.

"An update on the rescheduled dates will be available in the next few days.

"I hope you all understand and thanks for always having my back! (sic)"

Corey has also been quick to shut down rumours that his health is worse than he has disclosed.

He posted: "Enough w/ the conspiracy theories. I quit smoking b/c I wanted to. I had emergency surgery b/c s**t came up during my physical.

Calm. Down. (sic)"

Slipknot were due to kick off their summer shows on June 9 in West Valley City, Utah.

The band are touring in support of their latest album '5: The Gray Chapter'.