Disgraced Hollywood movie producer Harvey Weinstein has been diagnosed with rare bone marrow cancer, according to numerous outlets. The former Hollywood mogul has been affected by a series of health issues that have seen him receive hospital treatment while serving a jail sentence for the rape of an actress in Los Angeles in 2013.
Weinstein, 72, has chronic myeloid leukemia and is undergoing treatment behind bars in Rikers Islands, the reports say. Chronic myeloid leukemia is a rare type of cancer of the bone marrow. In a statement, Weinstein’s representative, Craig Rothfeld, said they would give ‘no further comment’ out of respect for Mr. Weinstein’s privacy.
As per his representatives, he has previously battled diabetes, high blood pressure, spinal stenosis, and fluid in his heart and lungs. Last month, Weinstein had emergency surgery to remove fluid around his heart and lungs. In July, he was taken to Bellevue Hospital after testing positive for COVID-19 and contracting double pneumonia.
Weinstein is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence after being convicted on rape charges in California. The former Hollywood mogul was also convicted in New York in 2020 of the rape and sexual assault of an actress and of forcibly performing oral sex on a production assistant. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison in that case.
However, the verdict was overturned in April by a New York appeals court, ruling that the trial judge had allowed testimony in error from accusers who weren’t directly involved with the charges Weinstein was facing. A retrial in the said case has been scheduled for November, though prosecutors have deemed that ‘unrealistic.’
Over 100 women have accused the former Hollywood mogul of sexual assault, rape, harassment, and misconduct stretching across his four-decade career. The list includes prominent actors Angelina Jolie, Ashley Judd, and Gwyneth Paltrow. Weinstein has claimed any sexual relations in question were consensual.
Despite his conviction being overturned, he has remained in prison due to another conviction last year for the rape of an actress in Los Angeles in 2013. He is currently appealing against that conviction.
Once one of Hollywood’s most influential people, Weinstein and his brother Bob co-founded the film and television production companies Miramax Films in 1979 and The Weinstein Company. He produced films such as the Oscar-winning Shakespeare in Love (1998), Pulp Fiction (1994), and The Crying Game.