Inside Larry King's COVID-19 Diagnosis

Talk show host Larry King is receiving care for COVID-19 in a Los Angeles hospital and is in isolation (via Showbiz 411). According to The Daily Mail, King's age and health put him at the top of the list as far as COVID-19 risk factors. The Daily Mail reported, "King has had numerous health issues, including a heart attack, prostate and lung cancer, and type two diabetes."

Deadline reports that the legendary television icon's condition is unknown and that he is "struggling with Covid-19." King cannot receive any visitors, not even his estranged wife, Shawn King, or their two sons. The longtime host of CNN's Larry King Live, which aired from 1985 to 2010, enjoyed a long and successful career in radio and TV (via Hollywood Reporter).

King has another sad reason putting him at high risk for COVID-19: In addition to his own poor health, the talk show host faced two family tragedies in 2020. He lost a son and a daughter within weeks of each other. According to the CDC, the stress of caring for sick loved ones can make individuals more vulnerable to illness, including COVID-19. Keep reading to learn more about King's COVID-19 diagnosis.

Larry King, the 87-year-old talk show host, was diagnosed with COVID-19 in late December 2020 (via DailyBeast). 

Like many people, 2020 has been hard on the celebrity TV host, who lost his son and daughter within weeks of each other. According to The Daily Mail, King's son Andy King suddenly died due to a heart attack on July 28, 2020. At the time his 65-year-old son died, the talk-show legend was recovering from a stroke and "had to watch his Florida-based son be buried on video." 

Less than a month later, tragedy struck the family again when King's only daughter, Chaia King, died. The 52-year-old daughter of the TV legend passed away on Aug. 19, 2020, after losing her battle with lung cancer (via Daily Mail).

In September 2020, Vox reported how chronic stress could be another risk factor for COVID-19. Vox reviewed health information about stress and how it keeps our bodies locked up in a "heightened response" mode and that "prolonged stress also weakens the immune system." Kathryn Freeman Anderson, a sociology professor at the University of Houston, told the publication, "Chronic stress wears the body down."