B.B. King is apparently under hospice care according to reports from The Hollywood Reporter. An ambulance came to his home in Las Vegas on Friday but his business manager, Laverne Toney, said that the performer opted to receive care at his home versus heading to the hospital.
"Mr. King is where he wishes to be," Toney said. "He's always told me he doesn't want to be in a hospital. He wants to be at home."
It's the most recent in a series of recent medical issues for King, one of the most influential guitarists of all time. As Music Times reported last month, King had been hospitalized for dehydration, and he also has diabetes and has dealt with high blood pressure in the best.
King, 89, had cancelled several shows from his 2014 tour after he took ill in Chicago.
Reports regarding the blues guitarist's health were muddied by reports from TMZ and similar sites that there had been a domestic disturbance at King's home. Some reports indicate that his daughter called the police because he refused treatment for a mini heart attack. Toney denied those claims, yet a Las Vegas police officer confirmed that they had been called to the home for a "domestic disturbance" regarding medical care.
King seems to be comfortable, posting the message about being in hospice care on his website and thanking fans for their thoughts and prayers.
Apparently some fans have conflated King with the similarly named Ben E. King, the former vocalist of The Drifters who died last week. We can confirm that the guitarist is still with us, and we wish him the best.
