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Comedian Jerry Lewis rushed to hospital

Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis

Comedian Jerry Lewis had a serious health scare. The funnyman was apparently rushed to the hospital just before he was to present Tom Cruise with a legendary Friars Club award.

The New York Post reports that the 86-year-old collapsed from low blood sugar before he was about to go onstage at Manhattan's Waldorf-Astoria. The publication added that a Friars Club official informed the audience that Lewis had fallen ill shortly before the event and had been taken to the hospital, but was expected to recover.

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According to the Post, the showman was believed to have been released from the hospital and was resting at a Manhattan hotel.

The Friars Club show did go on, hosted by Alec Baldwin. Cruise, who had brought son Connor and daughter Suri to the event, was presented with the legendary Entertainment Icon Award, which has been given to only three others: Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant, and Douglas Fairbanks.

The 49-year-old's "Jerry Maguire" co-star Cuba Gooding Jr. and NBC's Matt Lauer stepped in to present the award to the "Rock of Ages" star.

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Lewis himself had been scheduled to receive the Applause Award.

Cruise reportedly told the crowd, "I am sorry Jerry couldn't be here tonight." He added, "but I know he is going to be fine."

A spokesperson for Jerry Lewis declined to give a statement.

See Tom Cruise in the trailer for 'Rock of Ages':