Larry King Hospitalized in L.A. with COVID-19: Reports

Larry King survived a near-fatal stroke in May 2019

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Published on January 2, 2021 06:00 PM

Larry King has been hospitalized in Los Angeles for COVID-19, according to CNN and Roger Friedman's Showbiz411 report on Saturday.

The Larry King Now host, 87, has been ill for 10 days and remains in isolation, reported the outlet which also stated that King cannot be visited by ex-wife Shawn King — whom he filed for divorce from in 2019 — or their two sons, Cannon and Chance King.

"Larry has fought so many health issues in the last few years and he is fighting this one hard too, he's a champ," a source close to the King family told ABC News.

A representative for King did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

In May 2019, King suffered a near-fatal stroke just weeks after he had heart surgery to place a stent. He survived a heart attack in 1987 as well as prostate and lung cancer.

Then in 2020, King lost two of his children: Andy, 65, to a heart attack and Chaia, 51, to lung cancer. The pair died within 23 days of one another.

"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. Both of them were good and kind souls and they will be greatly missed," King wrote on Facebook in August.

"Losing them feels so out of order. No parent should have to bury a child," he continued. "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."

King shared daughter Chaia with his ex-wife Alene Akins. He adopted Andy, Akins' son, from a previous relationship, after the two got married in 1961. They split in 1963 and got back together in 1967, only to divorce again in 1972.

The star is also father to son Larry King Jr., with ex-wife Annette Kaye.

King burst into the spotlight as the host of the radio program The Larry King Show which ran from 1978 to 1994. He later hosted Larry King Live on CNN from 1985 to 2010.

Last February, King told PEOPLE he has "less of a fear of dying" after having suffered so many health scares. "I’m 86 and it is what it is. I just want to keep working until the end. I’d like to die at work — I’ll retire right there!" he said.

"I’m very proud of what I do," King added. "And I’m a good father — nothing beats parenthood. There’s an element of pinching myself every day. Look at what I’ve come through. All in all if you look at it, I’ve had a blessed life."

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