Disgraced former film producer Harvey Weinstein has been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, a rare type of cancer affecting bone marrow and white blood cells, as reported by US media.
The 72-year-old, who is currently awaiting retrial in New York on charges of rape and sexual assault linked to his landmark #MeToo case, is undergoing treatment at the Rikers Island prison complex in New York City, according to NBC News.
Craig Rothfeld, Weinstein’s authorized legal healthcare representative in New York, conveyed his “deep concern regarding the speculation surrounding his medical condition”.
In a statement provided to the PA news agency, he remarked: “It is both troubling and unacceptable that such private and confidential health matters have become a topic of public discussion.”
Weinstein’s diagnosis comes as he recovers from emergency heart surgery he had last month.
The ex-film producer became a central figure in the #MeToo movement in 2017 when women began to share their accounts of his alleged misconduct.
He is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence following his conviction for rape and sexual misconduct in February 2023 in Los Angeles, related to an incident in 2013 where he entered a woman’s hotel room uninvited during a Los Angeles film festival.
Weinstein is now awaiting a retrial in Manhattan after a 2020 rape conviction was overturned earlier this year by a majority ruling from the Court of Appeal in New York.
He has firmly denied all allegations against him.
The producer of several blockbuster films – including Pulp Fiction, The English Patient, Good Will Hunting, Gangs of New York, and Shakespeare in Love – has faced significant health challenges and has been hospitalized multiple times in recent years.
In July, he was hospitalized after being diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs and Covid-19.
The other health issues he was reported to be treated for included diabetes, high blood pressure, spinal stenosis, and fluid on his heart and lungs, according to a statement from Juda Engelmayer provided to the Associated Press at that time.
Source: Press Association
