INXS guitarist Tim Farriss severs finger and may never play again

Guitarist Tim Farriss from Australian rock band INXS has undergone surgery after his finger was severed, his record label said on Thursday, raising fears he may never play again.

Farriss' left hand was injured and the ring finger severed by an electric anchor winch while working on a boat in Sydney late last month.

"The accident has caused permanent damage to Tim's left hand and one of his fingers has been severed," Petrol Records said in a statement.

"He has undergone two extensive operations to reattach his finger. Tim is now at home undergoing further treatment to assist with his recovery."

In an e-mail to his bandmates, reported by the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Farriss said: "It was horrific. I don't know if I will be able to play properly again."

INXS were one of the world's biggest acts throughout the late 1980s and early '90s, selling more than 30 million records and playing to packed stadiums across the globe.

But the suicide of original frontman Michael Hutchence in 1997 hit them hard.

Since then they have hired several other singers and performed with the likes of Terence Trent D'Arby and Australian rocker Jimmy Barnes, but they were never able to revisit their early success.

INXS announced their retirement in 2012 but enjoyed a renewed wave of popularity fuelled by the screening of the "Never Tear Us Apart" mini-series last year, which documented their rise.

Their "Very Best Of" album was the top-selling Australian record in 2014 and they had hinted at future live performances.