George Lopez sparked concern when he appeared to fall ill and walked off stage in the middle of a New Year's Eve comedy show, but the Grammy-nominated comedian is now "recuperating," a rep has confirmed.
TMZ first reported that Lopez cut his show short at the Muckleshoot Casino Resort in Auburn, Washington, on Friday afternoon. An eyewitness, Sabrina Alvarez, told the outlet that Lopez "started sweating and asking for water."
"You could tell something was wrong, but it was not clear what was wrong," Alvarez said.
Lopez then stopped the show and walked off stage. TMZ reported that an ambulance was later seen pulling up to the venue.
The rep confirmed to USA Today that Lopez was ill and that he "performed for about 45 minutes" at the venue "before he had to excuse himself." The 60-year-old "did not go to the hospital" but was treated by paramedics on site.
The casino canceled Lopez's later show that evening, rescheduling it for March 18.
"It is with sincere apologies and regret that we must announce the cancellation of the 8 p.m. New Year's Eve performance by George Lopez," the announcement on Twitter read.
Lopez meanwhile is back at his Los Angeles home "recuperating from a case of the flu," the rep said.
In 2005, Lopez underwent a successful kidney transplant, according to People. A genetic condition caused his kidneys to deteriorate. His then-wife, Ann Serrano Lopez, donated her kidney.
Shortly after, Lopez became a national spokesperson for the National Kidney Foundation. In 2009, Lopez launched the George Lopez Foundation and in 2015 he was awarded the President's Medal by the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) for "his compassion and dedication to increasing awareness of the importance of kidney health and organ donation and his commitment to the kidney community," said Dr. Jonathan Himmelfarb, president of the ASN, upon announcing the award, according to Brain & Life.
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