Celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton is in “serious but stable” condition in a Florida hospital after an apparent suicide attempt and will require surgery in the coming days, his family said in a statement on his website.
Mr. Hilton, 48, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira, had significant blood loss and additional injuries. This comes after an Aug. 4 TikTok livestream in which he appeared covered in blood and holding what looked like a knife.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said it responded to reports of a person livestreaming self-harm and deputies safely recovered and hospitalized the individual.
Mr. Hilton’s family said his children fled the residence during the episode and are safe with immediate family, that his treatment and recovery will be a long process, and that his communication has been limited to immediate family, medical providers and others directly involved in his care.
They also asked media and the public to leave the area around the family’s home and stop attempting to photograph Mr. Hilton’s children.
The family disputed unspecified “false and inaccurate” media reports about the situation and said official updates will be posted only to Mr. Hilton’s website.
In recent years, Mr. Hilton received significant backlash over his aggressive tactics such as outing celebrities, doctoring photos with crude captions and verbally attacking public figures.
After undergoing treatment for sepsis earlier this year, Mr. Hilton said he had a spiritual experience where “God presented himself” to him.
As a result, Mr.Hilton had been publicly apologizing for his past behavior — including a July 14 podcast interview and a nine-minute video expressing “deep shame and regret,” in which he said he’d privately reached out to celebrities such as Britney Spears, Khloe Kardashian and Neil Patrick Harris to make amends.
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