World News

Harvey Weinstein diagnosed with bone marrow cancer, reports say 

22 October 2024
This content originally appeared on Al Jazeera.

Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been diagnosed with bone marrow cancer, media outlets in the United States have reported.

Weinstein, who became the most infamous face of the #MeToo era after dozens of women accused him of sexual harassment and assault, is being treated in prison for chronic myeloid leukaemia, NBC News and ABC News reported on Monday, citing unnamed sources.

Chronic myeloid leukaemia, also known as chronic myelogenous leukaemia, is a type of cancer that starts in the blood-forming cells of the bone marrow and invades the blood, according to the American Cancer Society.

It makes up about 15 percent of leukaemia cases in adults, according to the organisation.

The reports come as Weinstein is awaiting a new trial in New York after an appeals court threw out his 2020 convictions for rape and sexual assault.

The New York State Court of Appeals ruled 4-3 that the judge in the original case had wrongly allowed prosecutors to present allegations that were not part of the charges.

Weinstein was not released from prison after the decision as he is also serving a 16-year prison sentence in Los Angeles for rape and sexual assault.

He is also being prosecuted over a newer allegation that he sexually assaulted a woman at a Manhattan hotel in 2006.

The 72-year-old film mogul last month pleaded not guilty to one count of criminal sex act in the first degree in that case.

He has insisted that all sexual encounters he was involved in were consensual.

Weinstein, whose production house Miramax released blockbusters such as Shakespeare In Love and Pulp Fiction, has reportedly faced a myriad of health issues since his imprisonment.

Last month, he underwent emergency heart surgery to remove fluid in his lungs and heart, according to his representatives.

In July, the once-powerful film executive was hospitalised for a range of conditions including COVID-19 and double pneumonia, according to his representatives.