Hudson Leaves Paris, Will Be Treated at UCLA

Film star Rock Hudson, heading back to Los Angeles from Paris aboard a chartered Boeing 747, was expected to be admitted to UCLA Medical Center early today for evaluation and treatment of what has been reported to be AIDS, hospital officials said Monday.

Accompanied by an entourage of nine, Hudson was carried to an Air France jetliner for the nearly 12-hour flight home. He had been taken by helicopter ambulance from Paris’ American Hospital, where he had spent eight days.

A cordoned-off section of Charles de Gaulle Airport, far from press and public, was used for the transfer. Wire service reports indicated that the 59-year-old actor lay without moving on a stretcher while being carried aboard the plane.

Hudson’s Los Angeles spokesman, Dale Olson, confirmed details of the flight and the plan for Hudson to be treated at the Westwood facility.

Transfer by Helicopter

He said the actor would be transferred by helicopter from Los Angeles International Airport to UCLA Medical Center shortly after the plane’s arrival at about 2 a.m. today.

Olson said the airport transfer would take place away from reporters and camera crews. “Here’s a man who’s fighting for his life and a press event there could jeopardize his life,� said Olson.

John Pontarelli, a spokesman for UCLA Medical Center, said he expects Hudson to be admitted “for further evaluation and treatment.� Pontarelli said he had no information on the nature of Hudson’s ailments or why UCLA Medical Center had been chosen for his treatment.

Pontarelli said the Westwood facility has been active recently in research into AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome).

Hudson collapsed at a Paris hotel July 21 and was hospitalized. A spokesman for the actor there said Hudson had been diagnosed as suffering from AIDS a year ago and had gone to Paris to seek treatment.