Kevorkian, 83, in hospital under an alias

ROYAL OAK, Mich., June 2 (UPI) -- Dr. Jack Kevorkian, an assisted suicide advocate, is hospitalized in a Detroit-area hospital in a weak condition, his lawyer said.

Kevorkian, 83, has been hospitalized in Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak for the past 10 days with respiratory and kidney ailments and is registered under a pseudonym, the Detroit News reported Thursday.

His lawyer, Mayer Morganroth, said he had hoped Kevorkian would be out of the hospital last week, but now said it's unlikely he will be released this week.

"He's not doing real well at this point. He is talking, but he's mostly sleeping, trying to get his energy back," Morganroth said.

Kevorkian is a patient under an alias to discourage an onslaught of flowers, mail and uninvited guests, Morganroth said.

Kevorkian is getting nourishment to improve his strength, in addition to receiving treatment for his respiratory and kidney problems, the News reported.

"It's a trying time for him, but he'll bounce back," he said.

Kevorkian served eight years of a 10-to-25-year prison sentence he received in 1999 for second-degree murder for the death of Lou Gehrig's Disease patient Thomas Youk. Kevorkian is reported to have assisted in 130 suicides, the newspaper said.