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Larry King says he had a stroke in March and was in coma: ‘It’s been a rough year’

by Joe Concha - 11/27/19 12:45 PM ET

Longtime TV host Larry King revealed in an interview with the syndicated entertainment news program “Extra” that he was “in a coma for weeks” earlier this year, just one month before undergoing heart surgery.

The revelation came as King was celebrating his 86th birthday on Monday in an interview that aired Tuesday night.{mosads}

“I had a stroke,” King shared with “Extra.” “Everything got better except [for] my left foot, and I have been rehabbing that every day, and they tell me I’ll be walking by Christmas. Not bad, I’ve been walking with a walker.”

“It’s been a rough year, I don’t remember anything since March — I had the stroke in March,” he continued. “I haven’t driven a car, but I’m back at work and that makes me feel great.”

King is currently employed by Ora TV, which broadcasts the talk show, “Larry King Now.”

“It’s been a long, hard ride,” he added. “My head doctor said I have an incomparable spirit.”

King was again hospitalized in April after undergoing a heart procedure.

The former “Larry King Live” host has had heart problems in the past, including in 1987 when he had quintuple bypass surgery. King smoked three packs of cigarettes a day but quit after the 1987 surgery.

“His doctor successfully performed the angioplasty and inserted stents to reopen the previous bypass from 1987,” Ora TV said in an April 29 statement. “He has been recuperating in the hospital and is scheduled to be released soon. His doctors expect him to make a full recovery.”

King has also survived prostate cancer and also had a Stage 1 cancer tumor removed from a lung.

The Brooklyn-born host is best known for his long tenure on the CNN prime time show “Larry King Live” from 1985 to 2010.

Tags coma Larry King Stroke