(WABC) — Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is hospitalized in critical condition, his spokesman said on Sunday.
Spokesman Ted Goodman didn’t say what sent the 81-year-old to the hospital or how long he’s been there.
“Mayor Giuliani is a fighter who has faced every challenge in his life with unwavering strength, and he’s fighting with that same level of strength as we speak. We do ask that you join us in prayer for America’s Mayor-Rudy Giuliani,” Goodman said.
Giuliani hosted his online show, “America’s Mayor Live,” Friday night from Palm Beach, Florida.
As he opened the show, he coughed and his voice sounded more raspy than usual. He remarked: “My voice is a little under the weather, so I won’t be able to speak as loudly as I usually do, but I’ll get closer to the microphone.”
Giuliani earned the “America’s Mayor” nickname for helping unite the nation following the Sept. 11 attacks. In recent years he became a divisive figure after serving as an adviser and personal lawyer for President Donald Trump. Trump pardoned Giuliani after he faced criminal charges for his efforts to help try to overturn the 2020 election.
Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams released a statement about Giuliani saying, “We may not always agree politically, but this moment rises above politics.”
The statement went on to wish the former mayor “strength, good health, and a full recovery to a man who devoted his life to public service.”
Giuliani was elected New York’s mayor in 1993 after serving as one of the nation’s highest-profile prosecutors, taking on mobsters and crooked Wall Street traders.
Giuliani ran for the U.S. Senate in 2000 but abandoned his race against Hillary Clinton after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
