Doctors have reportedly diagnosed Harvey Weinstein with chronic myeloid leukemia and are treating him for the disease while he serves time behind bars.
The disgraced movie mogul has suffered from a myriad of health issues in recent months, but this is the first time his cancer diagnosis has been revealed, NBC News first reported. Weinstein’s team issued a short statement pushing back on news of the diagnosis.
His representative Juda Engelmayer and attorney Arthur Aidala’s joint statement reads, “Craig Rothfeld, Mr. Weinstein’s authorized legal healthcare representative in New York State, expresses profound dismay at the speculation surrounding Mr. Weinstein’s medical condition,” according to TMZ.
Harvey Weinstein (C) uses a walker as he leaves Manhattan Supreme Court February 20, 2020 after the third day of jury deliberations in his sex crimes trial in New York. – The disgraced movie mogul, 67, faces life in prison if the jury of seven men and five women convict him of a variety of sexual misconduct charges in New York (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
The American Cancer Society described chronic myeloid leukemia as being “a type of cancer that starts in certain blood-forming cells of the bone marrow.”
It’s unclear how advanced Weinstein’s particular condition is.
Engelmayer and Aidala went on to say, “It is both troubling and unacceptable that such private and confidential health matters have become a subject of public discourse and speculation. Out of respect for Mr. Weinstein’s privacy, we will offer no further comment.”
Weinstein is currently undergoing treatment while incarcerated in Rikers Island, as he awaits the start of his sexual assault trial in New York City, according to NBC.
Harvey Weinstein (C) is handed his walker as he leaves the Manhattan Criminal Court, on February 19, 2020, in New York City. – Jurors in ex-Hollywood titan Harvey Weinstein’s high-profile sex crimes trial ended their first day of deliberations on February 18, 2020 without reaching a verdict in the case seen as a watershed in the #MeToo movement. The disgraced movie mogul, 67, faces life in prison if the jury of seven men and five women convict him of a variety of sexual misconduct charges in New York. (Photo by JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images)
A Manhattan judge had sentenced Weinstein to 23 years in prison for allegedly raping an aspiring actress and sexually assaulting a production assistant, but the conviction was overturned in April.
Weinstein was also convicted of raping a woman in a Beverly Hills hotel in 2022, and a judge sentenced him to 16 years in prison. Weinstein has been forced to contend with a number of civil lawsuits that allege rape and sexual assault.
Weinstein has struggled with diabetes, high blood pressure, spinal stenosis and fluid on his heart and lungs during his time behind bars, according to TMZ.(RELATED: ‘Train Wreck, Health-wise’: Harvey Weinstein Rushed To Hospital)
He underwent major heart surgery in September and then contracted COVID-19 and double pneumonia, as his health continued to deteriorate.
This article was originally published at dailycaller.com
