Jerry Lewis doing 'fine' in hospital

Veteran US comedy actor Jerry Lewis is spending a couple of nights in hospital in New York after feeling faint, but is doing "fine" and is expected to be released on Thursday, aides said. The 86-year-old Oscar-winning star was rushed to hospital on Tuesday after collapsing at his hotel before an event at the Friars Club honouring Tom Cruise, a spokesman for the club told AFP. "Last night Jerry Lewis was taken to hospital as a precaution due to low blood sugar levels prior to leaving his hotel to attend the Friars Club Icon Award Tribute to Tom Cruise," said spokesman Rob Goldstone. "He is expected to be released from hospital tomorrow morning, and thanks everyone for the good wishes," he added. The New York Post reported Cruise as telling the audience at the private club, frequented by comedians and celebrities: "I am sorry Jerry couldn't be here tonight, but I know he is going to be fine." A staff member at Jerry Lewis Films, his Las Vegas-based production company, told AFP: "It was one of those matters where it was just a blood sugar imbalance. "He just felt faint," she said, adding that Lewis thought he was well enough to leave the hospital that night, but doctors insisted he stay overnight. "He's doing fine, it was just a precautionary measure. "He wanted to leave last night. But unfortunately, as a precautionary measure, the hospital wanted to keep him overnight to make sure that they've got the levels balanced." Lewis was in New York attending meetings and rehearsals for a Broadway musical he is preparing based on "The Nutty Professor," she said. Lewis wrote the original 1963 film, which was remade in 1996 starring Eddie Murphy. One of the most popular comic actors of his era, Lewis perfected the role of the quirky clown in a series of movies that captivated audiences in the 1950s and 1960s. In more recent decades, Lewis showed himself to be a complete entertainer as an actor, singer, writer, director and producer. He won acclaim for the 1983 Martin Scorsese film "The King of Comedy," co-starring with Robert De Niro. He won the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 2009 Academy Awards show. Lewis' career has also included theatre, where he appeared in 186 performances of the Broadway musical "Damn Yankees," in front of sold-out crowds beginning in 1985.