B.B. King est sorti de l'hôpital

Le "roi du blues" B.B. King est sorti de l'hôpital
29.01.2007

lundi 29 janvier 2007, 19h07 -- LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Le "roi du blues" américain B.B. King, 81 ans, est sorti de l'hôpital du Texas (sud) où il avait été admis pour "une petite fièvre", et est prêt à reprendre sa tournée dès mardi, a annoncé lundi son porte-parole à l'AFP.

"Il est sorti de l'hôpital samedi et a pris deux jours de repos. Il est toujours sur la route et sera à Fort Worth (Texas) en concert mardi. Tout semble aller bien", a indiqué Jerry Brown à l'AFP.

King avait été hospitalisé jeudi à Galveston, au Texas, en raison d'une fièvre résiduelle après une grippe.




The 81-year-old bluesman was released from a Galveston, Texas, hospital Saturday where he was admitted on Thursday for flu-like symptoms, including a low-grade fever.

King had been scheduled to perform at Galveston's Grand Opera House Thursday, and was dressed in his tuxedo and prepared to go onstage, before yielding to his doctor's advice to seek medical treatment, a venue spokesperson said.

Because King suffers from diabetes, he was placed in the elderly acute care wing of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston for monitoring as a precaution.

After a round of antibiotics, King was "back to his old self" and "feeling fabulous," according to a spokeswoman for his management agency.

King's son, Willie King, told the Galveston County Daily News that his father had a tendency to consider his audience ahead of his own needs.

"He would have kept going instead of resting,” Willie King told the newspaper. "But he's doing really great now. He's back to doing things like he normally does, plus he has an extra day to rest. He'll be ready to go back."

Indeed, the Grammy winner was feeling healthy enough to keep a Tuesday concert in Fort Worth, Texas on his itinerary. From there, King and his signature guitar, Lucille, are due to continue on to Louisiana for shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

King's current touring schedule calls for him to remain on the road until early April. However, the four appearances that were canceled due to his hospitalization will be rescheduled in June, his rep said.

"He loves show business so much he can't stand to not be doing it," King's daughter, Shirley King, told the Daily News. "I also think he believes he has to work even harder for the audience after all these years instead of slowing down."

Last month, the King of the Blues was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in honor of the more than 50 years he has spent thrilling audiences with his throaty vocals and guitar-plucking prowess.



B.B. King est le plus réputé des musiciens de blues encore en vie. Il se produit encore en concert quelque 150 fois par an. Début janvier, dans un entretien à l'AFP, il avait souhaité "pouvoir jouer jusqu'à la fin".