Don McLean 'arrested on a domestic violence charge'

Singer-songwriter Don McLean has been arrested on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge following an incident at his home in Maine. The American Pie singer was arrested at 2am on Monday, and was taken to the Knox County Jail.

The 70-year-old was released a few hours later after posting a $10,000 bail. The Wiscasset Newspaper, based in Maine, published what it said was a mug shot of McLean.

No other details relating to his arrest have been released according to Sky News. He reportedly lives with his 56-year-old photographer wife Patricia McLean.

McLean won global fame in 1971 with his hit song American Pie, about the deaths of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper in a plane crash in 1959. It spent four weeks at number one in the US in 1972 and, at more than eight minutes, is the longest song to top the charts in the country. In April 2015, McLean sold the 16-page handwritten original manuscript of the song at auction at Christies in New York for $1.2m (£840,000).

In 2004, McLean was inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame in 2004. The US singer-songwriter has amassed more than 40 gold and platinum records worldwide during his career

According to his official website his next live performance is scheduled for 27 January in Chicago. He is due to tour Australia in March.

He is reportedly set to appear at the Knox County Unified Court, Rockland, on 22 February.