Jay Leno missed a recent appearance at a financial conference in Las Vegas due to a “serious medical emergency.” The 72-year-old former Tonight Show host was scheduled to perform on Sunday night at the Forum 2022 event but had to cancel because of a health issue.
The news was communicated to attendees via an email from The Financial Brand, the organizers of the event.
“His family was not able to provide us very many details, but there was a very serious medical emergency that is preventing Jay from traveling,” the email stated.
“All we know is that he is alive, so our prayers go out to him and his family tonight.”
Jay Leno’s current condition following his recent medical emergency is unknown, but he has previously been transparent about his health.
In 2019, Leno revealed he was diagnosed with high cholesterol and shared a video showing a scan that detected a blockage in his heart.
- Jay Leno (Credit: YouTube)
He has since been vocal about the importance of routine health check-ups and maintaining a healthy diet, aiming to raise awareness and encourage others to take proactive steps in managing their health.
“We really want people to see the connection, because a lot of people don’t realize high cholesterol — and if you’ve had a heart attack or stroke, you’re increasing your risk for another one,” he said at the time.
“It’s like an earthquake, it might not destroy the house, but it certainly weakens the structure.”
“There’s a lot of people walking around like that, they’re just time bombs. You’ve got all this cholesterol, you don’t realize it until it actually hits, you know?” Leno explained.
“It’s like in a car, if even one piece of dirt gets in the eye of the needle of the jet, and boom and no more gas comes through. And that’s what happens with your heart.”
Jay Leno mentioned that he managed his cholesterol by taking medication and using a portable EKG device to monitor his heart rhythm and detect irregular heartbeats.
He also said he avoids alcohol and cigarettes, though he admitted he’s not “perfect” in maintaining his health habits.
“I’m not one of those guys. I don’t run five miles a day and do all that kind of stuff,” he said.
“Hopefully I’m appealing to people who think like me, which is probably the majority of the population, who would like to do more but not if it sounds like kind of a pain. But this is not a pain, it’s really simple. You go to the doctor, it’s a quick visit, he can tell you what you need to do.”
