Larry King Moved out of ICU Amid Coronavirus Hospitalization

Legendary broadcaster Larry King has been moved out of the intensive care unit at a Los Angeles hospital amid his ongoing battle with the coronavirus. The 87-year-old was initially hospitalized last week and was moved to the ICU on New Year’s Day, when he was said to be receiving oxygen, though his health now seems to be improving, according to a spokesman.

David Theall, a spokesman for Ora Media, a production company formed by King, confirmed to the Associated Press Monday that King is no longer in the ICU, though he remains in the hospital. King is now reportedly breathing on his own without the aid of oxygen. Theall said King shared a video phone call with his three sons – Larry Jr., Cannon, and Chance.

News of King’s hospitalization first broke Saturday, when multiple outlets reported that the veteran talk show host had contracted the virus. Given his age, King is considered high-risk for serious symptoms. A source at the time told ABC News that King was hospitalized at Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, though exact details of his condition were not immediately disclosed. Due to hospital protocols, King’s family members were unable to visit him. A source close to the family, meanwhile, told NBC News that King believes he contracted the virus from a health care worker who went to his home. The source said one of his sons also contracted the virus.

This marks the latest health scare for King, who has battled medical issues in recent decades. In November 2020, King was hospitalized for “heart issues and other things.” In November 2019, King revealed he had a stroke in March 2019 and was briefly in a coma. King also had a scheduled angioplasty in April 2019, with stents inserted. In 1987, he suffered his first major heart attack and has also battled prostate and lung cancer. ABC’s source, noting that King “has fought so many health issues in the last few years,” said amid his latest hospitalization, King is “fighting this one hard too. He’s a champ.”

Reflecting on his health battles in February 2019, King told PEOPLE those experiences left him with “less of a fear of dying now. 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!”

King is best known as the host of Larry King Live, the interview show that ran in primetime on CNN from 1985 to 2010. He returned to broadcasting in 2012 with Larry King Now on Ora TV, RT America, and Hulu.