George Harrison is Felled By Mystery Illness (1976)

 George Harrison is Felled By Mystery Illness

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San Antonio Express News

June 27, 1976

    Former Beatle George Harrison may have to be hospitalized following a mystery illness in which his weight plunged dramatically.

     At first, doctors thought 33-year-old Harrison was suffering from food poisoning, but treatment failed to clear up the complaint. Now they've warned him that if he doesn't recover soon, he will have to check into the hospital for further tests. 

    At present, Harrison is resting at his luxurious Riverside home in Henley-on-Thames, England. Friends and business acquaintances are claiming there is nothing seriously wrong with him. They admitted his illness was bad enough to stop him working in Los Angeles and fly back to Britain, but they said Harrison has returned to England to begin work on a new record album. But sources at the studio said so far, no recording has been done. 

    The head of Harrison's record company, Jonathan Clyde, dismissed the rumors by saying, "It was a very small stomach bug. As a result, he has lost weight."

     Part of Harrison's trouble is suspected of being caused by his diet. He is a vegetarian and refuses to eat meat. 

    In Los Angeles, doctors were apparently concerned with Harrison's weight loss and put him on various vitamins. The spokesman for Dark Horse Rutgers, which Harrison owns in Los Angeles, said, "At first it was thought the trouble had been caused by food poisoning. The doctors thought it necessary to drain poisonous fluid from his body." The spokesman said George was put on various vitamin pills, but they did not appear to be helping. "He has been working very hard, and the doctor has warned him he will have to go into hospital if this continues."