PARIS -- Rock Hudson, onetime matinee idol whose emaciated looks in a TV appearance with former co-star Doris Day a week ago startled his fans, has been suffering from the usually fatal disease AIDS for more than a year, a spokeswoman said Thursday.
Hudson, 59, had flown to France to consult a specialist when he fell seriously ill at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, his French publicist Yanou Collart told reporters at the American Hospital where the actor was admitted Sunday.
'Mr. Rock Hudson has Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome diagnosed over a year ago in the United States,' Collart said.
'He came to Paris to consult a specialist. Prior to meeting the specialist he became very ill at the Ritz Hotel and his personal business manager Mark Miller advised him from California to enter the American hospital immediately,' she said.
She said Hudson was 'improving daily' and doctors had not yet determined what treatment to give him. 'A decision will be made in the near future,' she said.
There have been rumors in Hollywood for about a year that Hudson, known most recently for his TV roles on 'McMillan & Wife' and 'Dynasty,' had AIDS. He looked gaunt and tired at an appearance last week with Day in Carmel, Calif.
Collart said doctors had conducted 'a series of diagnostic exams' on Hudson, but hospital spokesman Bruce Redor declined to comment on the results of the tests conducted in Paris.
'All this AIDS stuff is Rock Hudson and his people,' Redor said. 'It is a secret what our doctors our doing here. It is not French tradition to talk about patients.'
Collart said doctors suspected Hudson was suffering from AIDS, which strikes mainly homosexual men and intravenous drugs users, but were unaware of the previous diagnosis until Miller informed them after his arrival in Paris Wednesday.
'The physicians discovered abnormalities in the liver which, without knowledge of an AIDS diagnosis, were suspected to be caused either by infections or were consistent with metastatic liver disease,' the publicist said.
Miller, who saw Hudson at the hospital Wednesday, said later the actor was 'feeling much better' and 'looks wonderful.' Hudson, who stood 6-feet-4 and weighed over 200 pounds during his prime movie-making days, received a telephone call from his old friend President Reagan Wednesday.
Reagan is recuperating from surgery he underwent 11 days ago for removal of a cancerous tumor. Hudson knows the Reagans from their Hollywood days and was a guest at the White House about a year ago, when Mrs. Reagan noticed he had lost weight.
Hudson is perhaps best known for his role as the patriarch in the movie classic 'Giant,' for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. He also starred in a series of romantic comedies with Day such as 'Pillow Talk.'
The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta said that as of July 22, there were 11,871 confirmed cases of AIDS in the United States, of which 5,917 resulted in death.
AIDS, first reported in 1981, is believed to be caused by a virus group isolated and identified by researchers at the National Institutes of Health outside Washington and at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, both leading institutions in AIDS research.
The virus destroys part of the immune system, leaving victims easy prey to a variety of unusual infections and cancer. Early symptoms of AIDS may include fever, weight loss, fatigue and swollen glands.
Scientists believe the disease is spread by intimate sexual contact, blood transfusions and contaminated hypodermic needles.
Homosexual or bisexual men account for nearly three-quarters of the cases, with others including intravenous drug users, hemophiliacs and sexual partners of victims.
Cities with the most cases include New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and Newark, N.J.
