Wrestler Jerry Lawler critical after heart attack on live TV
Professional wrestler Jerry “The King” Lawler address the fans prior to to Game 7 of the NBA Western Conference quarterfinals between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Los Angeles Clippers at FedExForum on May 13, 2012 in Memphis, Tennessee.
Jerry Lawler, known as The King to professional wrestling fans, is recovering in a Montreal, Canada hospital after suffering a heart attack during a live TV broadcast Monday night.
Lawler is now a TV commentator and was working World Wrestling Entertainment’s Monday Night Raw broadcast when he collapsed.
“As of this morning, Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler is in a cardiac care unit and all his vital signs are stable,” a WWE statement read. “We continue to wish Jerry all the best for a full recovery.”
“We are hopeful Jerry makes a full recovery and returns to WWE in the near future. Our thoughts are with Jerry and his family.”
He's listed in critical but stable condition, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Lawler, 62, was broadcasting the tag-team match between Kane and Daniel Bryan and The Prime Time Players.
According to WWE, Lawler collapsed at the announcer’s table, generating many concerned looks from spectators in Montreal and TV viewers.
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First responders tended to him in the locker room and then took him to hospital.
His ex-wife, Stacy Carter, said doctors performed an angioplasty on Lawler’s heart.
Earlier in the evening, Lawler participated in a tag-team match at the Bell Centre, Fox Sports said.
Fox reported Lawler might have needed CPR backstage and in the ambulance, but that he was later breathing on his own.
Witnesses said fans had a clear view of Lawler in distress.
“It looked like he was choking,” journalist Arda Ocal said in the Baltimore Sun. “Then, suddenly, he collapsed from his chair.”
Lawler has been involved in professional wrestling for more than 40 years.
He made his debut in 1970 in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee and has held 168 championships in his career.
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