Health Diaries » Celebrity Health » March 2007
March 29, 2007
Allegra Versace In Treatment for Anorexia
Donatella Versace's daughter Allegra Versace, 20, is in treatment for anorexia in Los Angeles. Her parents released this statement:
“Our daughter, Allegra, has been battling anorexia, a very serious disease, for many years. She is receiving the best medical care possible to help overcome this illness and is responding well."
Versace heiress fights anorexia amid increasing fear for size-zero victims
March 27, 2007
Elizabeth Edwards and Tony Snow
The sad news about Elizabeth Edwards and Tony Snow, both of whom have incurable cancer, reminds us of both the great educational value of such "celebrity illnesses" as well as how hard it is for famous people to be sick in public. Because Edwards and Snow have been so forthcoming, Americans are receiving a tutorial on metastatic cancer. What does the term mean? Is it always fatal? Why do some people die quickly and others survive for years? At the same time, however, we should empathize with these admirable public figures. It is hard enough dealing with terminal cancer without having to discuss it in front of TV cameras and have one's decisions be openly second-guessed.
In writing a book on famous patients, I grew to admire these people and their families. Whether it was Lou Gehrig, Rita Hayworth, Steve McQueen, Arthur Ashe or others, all of them had their privacy invaded but proved willing to divulge information to potentially help others. In McQueen's case, for example, a tabloid tracked him down in Mexico undergoing unorthodox cancer treatment with Laetrile and other substances. A journalist friend came to Ashe's house and asked if the tennis great had AIDS and was concealing it. Ashe went public the next day.
As Edwards and Snow get sicker, they may choose to become more quiet. If they do, the press and the public should respect that right. For now, though, we should wish them luck.
Barron H. Lerner is a physician and historian at Columbia University and author of “When Illness Goes Public: Celebrity Patients and How We Look at Medicine (Johns Hopkins, 2006).
March 21, 2007
Britney Spears Out of Rehab
Britney Spears has finished her stint at Promises rehab in Malibu, almost a month after checking in on Feb. 22. Has it really been nearly a month since she checked in?
The pop star checked out of Promises Malibu Alcohol and Drug Rehab Treatment Facility "after successfully completing their program," Spears' manager, Larry Rudolph, said in a statement released by Jive Records late Tuesday.
Here's hoping her troubles are behind her.
Spears Leaves Malibu Rehab Center
March 16, 2007
Larry King Recovering from Carotid Endarterectomy
Larry King successfully underwent surgery on Friday to remove plaque from the carotid arteries in the neck. The procedure is called a carotid endarterectomy.
"Larry is doing great and he is excited to be back on the air Monday night with an interview with Senator Barack Obama as we mark the fourth anniversary of the Iraq war," the network says in a statement.
In 1987, King had a heart attack and underwent a quintuple bypass. Since then, he has given more than $4.5 million to cardiac patients in need of financial aid through the Larry King Cardiac Foundation.
March 15, 2007
Brad Delp Ended His Life with Carbon Monoxide
Boston singer Brad Delp's death has been ruled a suicide. Delp ended his life by sealing himself in the master bathroom of his apartment and turning on two charcoal grills. His fiancee Pamela Sullivan found him.
Delp left notes on the doors of the apartment warning anyone who entered of the carbon monoxide. Atkinson police Lt. William Baldwin said:
"We found a note on the door in the garage which led into the house, and we found another note on his bedroom door, 'caution carbon monoxide,' and then there was a little statement on there. We went looking for him. We didn't see him at first."
His family made the following statement:
"He was a man who gave all he had to give to everyone around him, whether family, friends, fans, or strangers. He gave as long as he could, as best he could, and he was very tired. We take comfort in knowing that he is now, at last, at peace."
Singer Brad Delp's death is ruled a suicide
Police Release Details About Notes Left Before Delp's Suicide
March 13, 2007
Actress and Singer Betty Hutton Dead at 86
Actress and singer Betty Hutton, star of the musical "Annie Get Your Gun," has died in Palm Springs, California at the age of 86.
Her other popular films include "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek," "Incendiary Blonde," "Somebody Loves Me," and "Perils of Pauline," and "The Greatest Show on Earth."
Hutton led a tumultuous life, marrying four times and battling drug and alcohol problems. She had a nervous breakdown in the early 1970s and attempted suicide. She told the AP in 1980: "Uppers, downers, inners, outers, I took everything I could get my hands on."
She credited a Rhode Island priest, the Rev. Peter Maguire, with befriending her and turning her life around. She converted to Roman Catholicism. In 1986, she earned a liberal arts degree from Salve Regina College, in Newport, Rhode Island, commenting that she liked college because "the kids studying there accepted me as one of them."
Hutton had three daughters, one with Pete Candoli and two with Ted Briskin. She didn't have any children with Alan Livingston or Charles O'Curran. All four marriages ended in divorce.
She lived her final years in Palm Springs, California.
CNN: Betty Hutton, star of musicals, dead
March 12, 2007
Regis Philbin to Undergo Triple Bypass Surgery
Regis Philbin, 75, announced today on "Live with Regis and Kelly" that he will be undergoing triple bypass surgery this week. After experiencing shortness of breath and chest pain, doctors examined him and told him the surgery was necessary.
Philbin said he was hoping to have angioplasty because "you know, you get in _ bang, bang, bang _ they blow it open and you leave the next day." But, he said, "there's some plaque in some arteries and I've got to get it cleaned out."
Good luck, Regis!
Philbin Says He'll Have Bypass Surgery
March 11, 2007
Comedian Richard Jeni Dead of Apparent Suicide
Comedian Richard Jeni has died in an apparent suicide. Police responded to a 911 call from a woman who said "My boyfriend shot himself in the face" and found the comedian in his West Hollywood home.
Jeni, whose real name was Richard John Colangelo, died less than an hour later at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The Los Angeles coroner's office said an autopsy is pending. Jeni's website lists his age as 45, four years younger than coroner's documents show.
LA Times: Comedian Richard Jeni dies of apparent suicide
March 9, 2007
Johnny Depp's Daughter Has Blood Poisoning
Johnny Depp's daughter Lily-Rose has been in the hospital for 9 days with a mystery illness. Now In Touch Weekly is reporting that the illness is blood poisoning brought on by stepping on a rusty nail.
Lily trod on the nail at the farmhouse in France where she lives with the Pirates of the Caribbean star weeks ago. "Blood poisoning developed. It has now spread through her body and has affected her vital organs," says one person with inside knowledge of the case.
This sounds very serious but things may be taking a positive turn as a rep for Johnny Depp told In Touch: "We are happy to report that their daughter is doing much better. The family greatly appreciates the continued support and respect of their privacy."
March 8, 2007
Johnny Depp's Daughter in Serious Condition in Hospital
The UK Sun is reporting that Johnny Depp's daughter is in serious condition in a British hosispital, where she has been for nine days. The paper reports that they know the nature of the illness but have decided not to report it for privacy reasons.
He and his partner VANESSA PARADIS have spent the last nine days with their little girl, who is in a “serious condition”. The couple, who live in France with Lily-Rose and their four-year-old son Jack, have been coming into the hospital via a staff entrance.
We hope Lily-Rose is going to be okay.
One question: why did the Sun file this story under "bizarre"? How ... bizarre.
March 6, 2007
Humphrey Bogart Lost His Battle Against Esophageal Cancer
Humphrey Bogart was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 1956. He was notorious for his heavy drinking and smoking, two things known to contribute to esophageal cancer.
The cancer had spread to his lymph nodes. His treatment included a nine hour surgery to remove the tumor, two lymph nodes, and a rib. The surgery was followed by a course of chemotherapy.
At first, Bogart seemed to respond to the treatments but after 6 months the cancer recurred and he underwent radiation therapy.
Unfortunately, Bogart could not fight the cancer and he fell into a coma and died at home on January 14, 1957 at the age of 57.
His last words: "I never should have switched from scotch to martinis.”
Timeline of Dick Cheney's Health Problems
Dick Cheney has just been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his left leg. This is one of many cardiovascular problems the Vice President has had over the years. Here's a timeline of his health problems, beginning with his first heart attack at the age of 37.
1978: At the age of 37, he suffers his first heart attack.
1984: Has his second heart attack.
1988: Has his third heart attack and undergoes quadruple bypass surgery.
November 22, 2000: Has a small heart attack and has a coronary stent inserted to open a closed artery.
March 5, 2001: After having chest pains, he undergoes a coronary balloon angioplasty in order to stop the artery that was opened in November from closing again.
June 30, 2001: Has surgery to implant a small cardioverter-defribillator (ICD) in order to monitor his heartrate and slow it down when necessary.
Sept. 24, 2005: Undergoes endovascular repair of arterial aneurysms behind both knees after small aneurysms were discovered during his annual physical exam.
January 9, 2006: Goes to the hospital after complaining of shortness of breath and is diagnosed with fluid retention and prescribed a diuretic. The fluid retention was due to medication he had been taken for a foot problem.
March 5, 2007: After complaining of pain in his left calf, he is treated for deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) in his left leg.
David Beckham Injures Knee, Sidelined for Month
David Beckham has sprained his right knee and will be sidelined for four weeks. This will affect his playing with Real Madrid for the European titles but should not affect his much anticipated debut with the Galaxy team in Los Angeles.
"The Briton is suffering from a second-degree sprain of the internal lateral ligament of the right knee," the club said after Beckham was evaluated at the team's training site in the afternoon. Club doctors expressed relief that the injury was not more serious.
LA Times: Injured Beckham expected to be ready for Galaxy
Lisa Marie Presley Had Mercury Poisoning
Lisa Marie Presley has spoken openly over the years about her mercury poisoning from amalgam fillings. In the April 20, 2003 issue of Rolling Stone magazine, she said:
"My body started to deteriorate. I started to have panic attacks. I went through two years of baffling every doctor from East to West Coast. One week it was asthma . . . hypoglycemia . . . candida . . . reflux . . . I had everything. My gall bladder just. . . stopped working, and I had to get it taken out ... I wound up in the hospital. I had everything happening; my body completely fell apart. And nobody knew what the hell was wrong with me ... I was absolutely falling apart, physically and emotionally, for a two-year period ... It was the constant physical breakdowns that were going on that I didn't understand."
She visited a homeopathic doctor who told her the amalgam fillings in her mouth were causing her problems. Presley says her health returned to normal after having them removed.
" ... once I started to get it out, it all stopped ... Mercury can make you go ... crazy ... They try to say mercury is safe, but it's the second-deadliest poison known to man, underneath plutonium, and it's in people's ... teeth."
March 5, 2007
Is Britney Spears the Antichrist?
News of the World is reporting that Britney Spears wrote "666" on her forehead and ran up and down the hallways of Promises rehab yelling "I am the Antichrist!" and then tried to hang herself with a bedsheet.
We have doubts about the veracity of this story because it seems quite tabloidy and silly. Nonetheless, mainstream news outlets are picking up the story and reporting it.
It's hard to tell where fake tabloid news ends and "real" news begins these days. Something tells me that line is just going to be become more and more blurred as time goes on.
March 1, 2007
Arthur Schlesinger Jr. Dead
Arthur Schlesinger has died at the age of 89. He had a heart attack while eating at a restaurant in Manhattan with his family. He died at New York Downtown Hospital.
Mr. Schlesinger was among the most prominent historians of his time, and was widely respected as learned and readable, with a panoramic vision of U.S. culture and politics. He received a National Book Award for Robert Kennedy and His Times and a National Book Award and a Pulitzer for A Thousand Days, his memoir/chronicle of president John f. Kennedy's administration. He also won a Pulitzer, in 1946, for The Age of Jackson, a landmark chronicle of Andrew Jackson's administration.
