A HAMPSHIRE musician who suffered serious head injuries in a road accident five weeks ago has come out of his coma.

Guitarist Gary Leport, pictured, of the Plonkers Agricultural Orchestra, even managed a smile after he regained consciousness at Southampton General Hospital.

Gary, known to his fellow musicians as Sludge, has been taken off a life support machine and moved out of intensive care.

Daily Echo: Click below to see a video of today's headlines in sixty seconds

The good news just comes days after fans of legendary rocker Rod Stewart sent Gary’s friends a message of support.

Gary formed The Dimensions in the early 1960s and gave the spiky-haired singer his big break by inviting him to join the band. Details of Gary’s accident have appeared on the online version of SMILER, a quarterly publication by Rod Stewart’s fan club.

Today, the Daily Echo can reveal that one of Rod’s fellow musicians from 45 years ago has also wished Gary a speedy recovery.

In a message to the Plonkers, Desi Duffy recalled the days when he and Rod were both members of The Moontrekkers.

He said: “I lived around the corner from Sludge in north London.

Many a time I’d go around to Gary’s mum’s to practise some chords on my Elvis songs.”

Gary, 64, of Paddock Gardens, Lymington, was walking home when he was hit by a car on January 14.