Yoko Ono Taken To Hospital From Upper West Side Home
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Yoko Ono was removed from her Upper West Side home Friday evening for what was initially reported to be a possible stroke -- though her publicist later said she was suffering from the flu.
Ono, who turned 83 this month, was taken from her home at the Dakota at 72nd Street and Central Park West, and was rushed to Mount Sinai West Hospital – formerly St. Luke's Roosevelt, a police source told CBS2's Jessica Schneider.
Ono was unconscious when she was taken to the hospital at 9:05 p.m., the FDNY said.
Police sources initially told CBS2 Ono had suffered a possible stroke.
But late Friday night, Ono's publicist, Elliot Mintz, told CNN she had been suffering from "extreme flu-like symptoms," and her doctor thought she should go to the hospital and get checked.
Mintz said Ono will likely be released on Saturday.
It was not clear if Ono was alone at the time she was rushed to the hospital, CBS2's Tracee Carrasco reported.
Ono has lived in the Dakota since 1973. Her husband, John Lennon, was shot and killed in front of the building on Dec. 8, 1980.
Lennon was himself pronounced dead at St. Luke's Roosevelt.
In 2013, Ono spoke with 1010 WINS about Lennon and his relationship to New York, on the occasion of an exhibition of his artwork in the city.
Web Extra: Full 1010 WINS Interview With Yoko Ono In 2013
"New York is very special in that sense," Ono said in the 2013 interview. "People are very hip and they understand about John's work in a very different way from any other city."
Meanwhile, just this week, Ono was the subject of a profile in "Us Weekly." Among the observations, were, "I'm happiest performing heavy rock on stage. But I listen to only Brecht or Schoenberg at home," and, "I know Mozart is supposed to be the greatest, but I prefer listening to Stravinsky underneath a gray sky."
She also remarked in the Us Weekly column, "I had nothing to do with breaking up the Beatles. And I think Paul [McCartney] is a pretty cool dude."
