Former CNN host Larry King is in the hospital after contracting COVID-19, CNN reported on Saturday.
Citing a source close to the family, CBS News confirmed the report on Sunday. The veteran television personality, who is a Type-2 diabetic, is said to have been receiving treatment at Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for over a week.
Larry King previously beat lung cancer
At 87, King has suffered from a number of physical ailments. His physical struggles have included heart problems and a bout with lung cancer several years ago.
“I didn’t have any pain, but when they took a chest x-ray the doctor said, ‘There’s a little cloud here,’” King told People magazine during a 2017 interview.
“They said I was lucky and smart to get annual chest x-rays because lung cancer doesn’t give you any signs until it’s in late stages,” he remarked, adding, “And by then it’s too late.”
Of his surgery, King said, “They went in through my ribs with a tiny camera and snipped it out. I only had a little pain and some shortness of breath but once my speech is back full – and that took about a week – I went right back to work.”
Two years later, King underwent an angioplasty and had doctors insert stents into his heart after he began experiencing chest pains.
King helps others receive heart treatment
King’s heart troubles date back to the 1980s, and led him to establish the Larry King Cardiac Foundation. It exists “to help facilitate life-saving treatment for individuals who, due to limited means or no insurance, would otherwise be unable to receive care.”
The foundation’s website recalls how King made the decision to create it, stating, “In 1987, Larry King awoke in the Intensive Care Unit of a New York hospital after undergoing successful quintuple bypass heart surgery.”
“For almost a year, his heart had been failing as a result of cardiovascular disease. Larry was lucky. His hospital bills were covered by insurance.”
“Others are not so lucky,” the website notes. “While Larry was recovering from his operation, he made a promise to himself to help others. The Foundation works in conjunction with hospitals throughout the nation to ensure that such patients receive proper medical attention.”
King hosted his popular nightly talk show, “Larry King Live,” on CNN from 1985 to 2010.
The post Larry King hospitalized with the coronavirus: reports first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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