Reports: Larry King Has Been Hospitalized With COVID-19 For Over A Week

Legendary talk host Larry King, 87, has reportedly been hospitalized with COVID-19 for at least a week, according to news reports that began to emerge on Friday night.

King, the long-time host of “Larry King Live,” was reportedly checked into the hospital ten days ago and his family has not been allowed to visit him, reported entertainment news journalist Roger Friedman on Friday evening.

“I’m told that the 87 year old broadcasting star of CNN and radio is battling COVID in a famed Los Angeles hospital,” reported Friedman at ShowBiz411. “His wife of 23 years, Shawn King — yes, they are apparently still legally married, and on very good terms — and their two sons, Chance and Cannon — are not allowed to visit him. But they are in constant contact with the hospital and doctors monitoring Larry’s condition.”

Citing a source close to the family, CNN reported King has been hospitalized with COVID-19 at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Southern California for over a week. CNN was home to “Larry King Live” beginning in the 1980s until his retirement from TV. King hasn’t tweeted since late November, when he shared a picture of him and two of his sons in a “Happy Thanksgiving” message.

According to CNN, King lives with Type-2 diabetes and was successfully treated for lung cancer following a diagnosis in 2017. More recently, he underwent surgery for angina after being hospitalized for chest pain, noted the Hollywood Reporter back in 2019.

Less than six months ago, King revealed that two of his children had died in the summer within the span of three weeks. “It is with sadness and a father’s broken heart that I confirm the recent loss of two of my children, Andy King, and Chaia King,” he wrote.

Andy King, 65, died of a heart attack in July, and Chaia King died in August after a brief battle with lung cancer, said the former TV host at the time.

“Losing them feels so out of order. No parent should have to bury a child,” wrote King. “My family and I thank you for your outpouring of kind sentiments and well wishes. In this moment, we need a little time and privacy to heal. I thank you for respecting that.”

Los Angeles County, which has roughly 10 million residents, has been experiencing a spike in COVID-19 positive cases, and the county’s 7-day positivity rate is currently at 17.5%, according to state data. On Friday, Governor Gavin Newsom (D) announced that California officials were teaming up with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to update oxygen delivery systems at several hospitals in Los Angels County amidst the high demand for it.