The 'Lou Grant' actor had trouble speaking midway through his performance and later assured fans on Twitter that he just suffered from exhaustion.
- Mar 14, 2013
AceShowbiz - Actor Ed Asner, 83, was rushed to a hospital Tuesday night, March 12. The "Lou Grant" star was forced to cut short his one-man show about U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt at Marquette Park Pavilion in Gary, Indiana after having trouble speaking on stage.
The acting veteran started the sellout show about 40 minutes late, according to Chicago Sun-Times, and left the stage 15 minutes into his performance after struggling with his lines. "I will be back," he allegedly said as he was being removed from the stage by ambulance crew.
Earlier in the day, Asner led an acting class for thirty drama students from Lake and Porter counties at the West Side Leadership Academy in Gary.
His representative, Charles Sherman, explained that Asner suffered from exhaustion. His son Matt additionally told TMZ about the ailing actor, "He is resting now at an Indiana hospital and is doing well and very grumpy, which with him is always a good thing."
"He is being assessed right now and what I can say is that it was not a stroke. That much we do know," matt continued. "He was feeling under the weather for a few weeks so he may just need some rest but for now he is just fine."
The actor himself took to Twitter to explain his condition and thank fans for their outpouring support, "Reports of my imminent demise are greatly exaggerated. They tell me I am suffering from exhaustion. Thanks for the good wishes!"
Asner is known for his role as workaholic news producer Lou Grant on classic sitcom "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and its spin-off "Lou Grant". He was also the president of the Screen Actors Guild.
His hospitalization came just a few days after his co-star on the "Mary Tyler Moore" show Valerie Harper announced she's diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.
