Billy Bob Thornton Hospitalized
September 27 -- Actor Billy Bob Thornton was hospitalized last weekend, sparking a rumor that the 45-year-old Oscar winner had suffered a heart attack.
His rep, Michelle Bega, denied that claim to USA Today. She stated that Thornton had been admitted to Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles over the weekend, where he was supposedly treated for a viral infection and released Monday.
But something's awry about that story. New York Daily News gossip columnist Mitchell Fink says that Thornton's attorney sent Fink a letter Tuesday claiming that Thornton was still in the hospital and was expected to be released within a day or two.
The rail-thin actor has admitted to having an eating disorder — in 1998, he stood 6 feet tall and weighed only 138 pounds — causing some to speculate that he has a less-than-healthy lifestyle.
Thornton's wife, actress Angelina Jolie, reportedly flew in from England to be at his bedside, syndicated columnist Jeannette Walls notes. Jolie, 25, is overseas filming the big-screen version of the video game Tomb Raider.
In the recent past, drug and mental illness rumors plagued Jolie as well, claims she and Thornton vehemently denied. Jolie explained that being without Thornton made her check into a hospital right before their wedding.
"When I couldn't be near him, I started to go nuts … I felt lost and got really sad to a point where I wasn't thinking clearly … but I didn't want to hurt myself or anyone else. So I went into the hospital to make sure my blood pressure was normal and they ended up saying, 'Maybe you should take a rest for a few days.'"
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