Rodney Dangerfield Hospitalized

[Captain Bacardi]

Man, this has been a tough couple of weeks for some celebrities. From Yahoo News:

Rodney Dangerfield to Have Heart Surgery

LOS ANGELES - Comedian Rodney Dangerfield was hospitalized Tuesday for heart valve replacement surgery.

Dangerfield, 82, underwent brain surgery last year to reduce his chances of having a stroke during the heart operation.

Asked how long he would remain in the hospital after Wednesday's operation, he said: "If things go right, I'll be there about a week, and if things don't go right, I'll be there about an hour and a half."

The comic and actor, best known for his self-mocking line, "I don't get no respect," recently released his autobiography, "It's Not Easy Being Me: A Lifetime of No Respect but Plenty of Sex and Drugs."

Dangerfield's films include "Back to School" and "Caddyshack." He is set to guest star on the sitcom "Still Standing" this fall and will be heard as himself in the animated comedy "The Family Guy."

A television movie based on his autobiography is also planned.



Capt. Bacardi

 

[Rudy]

I'd heard about his brain surgery. I have to give him credit as a "late bloomer": he didn't start on his career until he was well into middle age, and is still going strong...or as strong as he can be at his age!

 

[Captain Bacardi]

Looks like things have gotten worse for Rodney. From Reuters:

Dangerfield's Wife Says He Is in Coma in L.A.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Comedian Rodney Dangerfield slipped into a coma while recovering from heart surgery in recent weeks but "is starting to show signs of awareness," his wife Joan said on Monday.

The 82-year-old performer, who was reported by his spokesman to have been hooked to a respirator in intensive care since undergoing a heart-valve replacement on Aug. 25, was able to breathe on his own for the past 24 hours, she said.

Dangerfield fell into a "light coma" a couple of weeks ago, but "after recent visits from his family and close friends, Rodney is starting to show signs of awareness, and we are all hopeful that he will regain full consciousness soon," she said in a statement issued through his publicist, Kevin Sasaki.

She said Dangerfield remains in stable condition overall, and that "Our family remains optimistic that Rodney will make a complete recovery ..."

The statement appeared to conflict in some respects with previous information provided by Sasaki, who said last week that Dangerfield was conscious when friends and fellow entertainers such as Jay Leno, Roseanne, Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler visited him at the UCLA Medical Center.

Dangerfield, famed for his self-deprecating one-liners and the catch phrase, "I can't get no respect," has endured a string of health problems in recent years.

The bulging-eyed comedian had double-bypass heart surgery in March of 2000 and an operation three months later to correct an aneurysm. He also suffered a mild heart attack in November, 2001. Last year, he underwent a brain bypass operation to reduce the risk of a stroke during or immediately after his heart valve replacement.



Capt. Bacardi

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I blame any problems on that doctor of his, Dr. Vinny Boombatz.