THOUSAND OAKS, California (CNN) — Actor Martin Lawrence is reported in very critical but stable condition in a Los Angeles area hospital after collapsing Sunday from apparent heat stroke.
Martin, 34, best known for his starring role in the Fox television series “Martin,” was jogging in the summer heat while wearing multiple layers of clothing, apparently trying to lose weight for an upcoming movie role when he collapsed.
He was found by his girlfriend on the front steps of his home, with a temperature of 107 degrees.
Martin is breathing on a respirator and is responsive to commands such as “squeeze my hand,” said Kris Carraway, a spokeswoman for Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks.
Carraway said Lawrence’s condition has improved slightly and he is no longer in a coma. His prognosis is guarded, Carraway said, and he is suffering from kidney distress.
Lawrence has appeared in at least 10 movies, including Spike Lee’s 1989 smash hit, “Do the Right Thing,” as well as this year’s “Life” with Eddie Murphy. His upcoming movie, “Blue Streak,” is scheduled to premier in theaters September 17.
Martin had some brushes with the law in the last year of “Martin,” which ran from 1992 to 1997.
In May 1996, he ran into traffic on busy Ventura Boulevard and began yelling. He was led away by police who found a loaded pistol in this pocket, then taken to Cedar-Sinai Hospital, where he was diagnosed as suffering from exhaustion and dehydration.
In 1997, he was sued by Tisha Campbell, his TV wife on “Martin,” for alleged sexual harassment, but the suit was eventually dropped. He was also arrested for carrying a loaded gun at the Burbank airport and for hitting a man in the face at a nightclub.
He was charged with battery in that case, sentenced to two years probation and ordered to perform community service and organize a charity fund-raiser.
