Ric Flair Hospitalized After ‘Very Serious’ Medical Event, Report Says

Ric Flair Hospitalized After ‘Very Serious’ Medical Event, Report Says
Ric Flair in a file photo. WWE.com
Jack Phillips
Updated:

Longtime professional wrestler Ric Flair was hospitalized after a reportedly serious medical event.

TMZ reported that Flair, 70, was in Atlanta when he was taken to the hospital after an unspecified medical event. He was taken to the hospital’s emergency room.

Flair’s representative didn’t return a request for a comment. A source to the outlet that the condition is “very serious.”

Flair, a 16-time champion, had a health scare last year when he was placed in a medically induced coma and on life support for 10 days due to kidney failure and other health issues, according to reports.
Flair said he’s had a number of health issues stemming from his longtime issues with alcohol, according to ESPN.
“They told my kids that everything had shut down ... kidney failure, congestive heart failure, everything shut down,” Flair said at the time. His knack for partying and struggles with alcoholism have been well-documented over the years.

“When I started in the business in 1972, we drove 3,000 miles a week, we drank beer on the road … threw cans out the windows and all the stuff, no cops, it was just a way of life,” Flair told the network. “Then pretty soon, it was drinking a beer, getting to the hotel, drinking liquor.”

On a regular basis, he estimated that he had “between 3,700 and 4,000 calories” worth of alcohol and soda regularly. “It’d be like 20 drinks a day,” he added.

In 2017, the “Nature Boy” told People magazine that he vowed to never drink again.

“It scared the [expletive] out of me,” he told People at the time. “I never want to go through this again.”

“My daughter [Charlotte] told me that the doctor told her to go see me—that I wasn’t going to make it. I had no idea it was that bad. Wendy never told me,” he said, referring to his longtime girlfriend.

Notable Celebrity Deaths in 2019

Peggy Lipton

Actress Peggy Lipton, who starred in David Lynch’s iconic show “Twin Peaks,” and the 1960s show “The Mob Squad,” died on May 11 at the age of 72.

The cause of death was cancer.

Actress Rashida Jones (C) poses with her father Quincy Jones and her mother Peggy Lipton, at the premiere of "Celeste and Jesse Forever" at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, on Jan. 20, 2012. Lipton died of cancer at age 72. (Danny Moloshok/AP Photo, File)
Actress Rashida Jones (C) poses with her father Quincy Jones and her mother Peggy Lipton, at the premiere of "Celeste and Jesse Forever" at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, on Jan. 20, 2012. Lipton died of cancer at age 72. Danny Moloshok/AP Photo, File
Nipsey Hussle
Rapper Nipsey Hussle was shot dead at the age of 33 in South Los Angeles on March 31.
Nipsey Hussle and Lauren London in Los Angeles, on Feb. 7, 2019. The rapper was shot dead in late March. (Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images)
Nipsey Hussle and Lauren London in Los Angeles, on Feb. 7, 2019. The rapper was shot dead in late March. Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images
Luke Perry
Actor Luke Perry died from a stroke on March 4.
Undated file photo of Luke Perry. (Newsmakers)
Undated file photo of Luke Perry. Newsmakers

John Singleton

Iconic “Boyz N The Hood” director and the youngest ever Oscar nominee for best picture died after spending days in a coma following a stroke.
John Singleton at the 90th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, Calif., on March 4, 2018. (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
John Singleton at the 90th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, Calif., on March 4, 2018. Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Peter Tork
Peter Tork of the Monkees died at 77 in February 2019. (Noel Vasquez/Getty Images)
Peter Tork of the Monkees died at 77 in February 2019. Noel Vasquez/Getty Images
Albert Finney
British actor Albert Finney died in February 2019 at the age of 82. (Lucy Nicholson/AFP/Getty Images)
British actor Albert Finney died in February 2019 at the age of 82. Lucy Nicholson/AFP/Getty Images
James Ingram
Longtime R&B singer James Ingram died in late January. Quincy Jones, a collaborator of his, wrote, “With that soulful, whisky sounding voice, James Ingram was simply magical ... every beautiful note that James sang pierced your essence and comfortably made itself at home.”
Singer James Ingram died at the age of 66 after a battle with brain cancer, according to reports on Jan. 29. (Getty Images)
Singer James Ingram died at the age of 66 after a battle with brain cancer, according to reports on Jan. 29. Getty Images
Freddie Starr

Celebrity comedian Freddie Starr died aged 76 at his home in Spain, according to reports.

The body of the British-born funnyman was reportedly discovered by a caregiver at his apartment in Mijas on the Costa del Sol on May 9, the Mirror reported.

Starr had been ill.

A neighbor, who asked not to be named, told the Mirror: “His carer found him dead in his chair at around 3:30 p.m. Police arrived first and then later an ambulance arrived and he was taken away.

“His next door neighbor, who is a nurse, said he was definitely dead. She said she thinks he may have suffered a heart attack.”

Legendary comedian Freddie Starr at the British Comedy Awards at Fountain Studios in London, on Dec. 16, 2011. (Stuart Wilson/Getty Images)
Legendary comedian Freddie Starr at the British Comedy Awards at Fountain Studios in London, on Dec. 16, 2011. Stuart Wilson/Getty Images
Kelly Jobanputra
BBC Radio 6 music presenter Kelly Jobanputra, of Swindon in southwest England, died on April 26, according to the Swindon Advertiser. She was tragically struck and killed by a train, according to reports.
The celebrity radio host had just turned 40 in April, The Sun reported, and last year had given birth to her second child.
Kelly Jobanputra poses for a photograph she posted on Twitter on March 31, 2019. (@KelJobanputra/Twitter)
Kelly Jobanputra poses for a photograph she posted on Twitter on March 31, 2019. @KelJobanputra/Twitter
Fatima Ali

“Top Chef” alum Fatima Ali died on Jan. 25, after a battle with terminal cancer. She was 29.

Former “Top Chef” contestant Bruce Kalman paid tribute to her: “It’s with a heavy heart we say goodbye to Fatima Ali today, as she has lost her battle with cancer,” he wrote.

“Top Chef” star Fatima Ali died at the age of 29 after battling a form of bone cancer, said her family. (Instagram)
“Top Chef” star Fatima Ali died at the age of 29 after battling a form of bone cancer, said her family. Instagram
Carol Channing
Carol Channing, whose career spanned decades on Broadway and on television, died at age 97. Publicist B. Harlan Boll said Channing died of natural causes early in Rancho Mirage, Calif., on Jan. 15, 2019. (Jim Cole/AP Photo, File)
Carol Channing, whose career spanned decades on Broadway and on television, died at age 97. Publicist B. Harlan Boll said Channing died of natural causes early in Rancho Mirage, Calif., on Jan. 15, 2019. Jim Cole/AP Photo, File
Bob Einstein
Bob Einstein in Hollywood, Calif., on June 27, 2018. (Christopher Polk/Getty Images)
Bob Einstein in Hollywood, Calif., on June 27, 2018. Christopher Polk/Getty Images
Comedian and actor Bob Einstein died on Jan. 2 after a battle with cancer. He was 76.

Daryl Dragon

Daryl 'The Captain' Dragon beside his ex-wife, Toni Tennille, wearing his signature captain's hat. (Hillel Italie/AP)
Daryl 'The Captain' Dragon beside his ex-wife, Toni Tennille, wearing his signature captain's hat. Hillel Italie/AP

Daryl Dragon, or “Captain,” of pop group Captain and Tennille, died on Jan. 2 of renal failure.

Jack Phillips
Jack Phillips
Breaking News Reporter
Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter who covers a range of topics, including politics, U.S., and health news. A father of two, Jack grew up in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
twitter
Related Topics