Former President George HW Bush
Former President George HW BushReuters

The official spokesperson of former US President George HW Bush announced Thursday that the 41st president fell at his Maine summer home the day before, and broke a bone in his neck.

Jim McGrath, the spokesman, said the 91-year-old former president's condition is stable and "he is fine," saying he will recover but will need to wear a neck brace.

He was treated at the Maine medical center in Portland, Maine. Bush, who has lost the use of his legs due to a form of Parkinson's Disease, was most recently hospitalized for difficulty breathing last December, and back in January 2013 was in a Houston hospital for nearly two months due to bronchitis-related health issues.

His granddaughter, Jenna Bush Hager, took to Twitter on Thursday to write: "Always touched by kindness: thanks for all of your thoughts+prayers for our dear Gamps. We are optimistic that he will heal well."

Also writing in on Twitter was Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of Bill and Hillary Clinton - the latter being the top Democratic candidate for the 2016 presidential election. She wrote: "Sending all my thoughts and good wishes to President Bush for a speedy recovery."

Bush is the oldest living former president, and he and his wife Barbara are also the longest-married presidential couple. In 2000 they beat John and Abigail Adams for that record, and this January they held their 70th anniversary.

The ex-president has not let his age keep him down; in June 2014 he skydived from an airplane to celebrate his 90th birthday, after having similarly done so at his 85th birthday.

The jump made Bush's eighth, with his first time being in World War II when his plane was shot down over the Pacific, forcing him to parachute out.