Lawrence

Web posted on:
Thursday, August 26, 1999 5:54:42 PM EST

THOUSAND OAKS, California (CNN) -- Actor Martin Lawrence was alert and recovering Thursday -- though still in critical but stable condition -- in a Los Angeles-area hospital after collapsing Sunday from apparent heat stroke.

Lawrence also indicated he wanted to write and was given paper and a pen. Carraway said he wrote something to a family member who was in the room, but she did not know what the note said.

Lawrence, 34, best known for his starring role in the FOX television series "Martin," was jogging in the summer heat Sunday while wearing multiple layers of clothing. Carraway said the actor, who jogs for at least an hour every day, collapsed after he stepped up his regime to lose weight for an upcoming movie role.

He was found by his girlfriend on the front steps of his home with a temperature of 107 degrees Fahrenheit. Paramedics rushed the near-death Lawrence to the hospital, where he was treated with ice and fans by emergency doctors and nurses. He had slipped into a coma, but regained consciousness on Tuesday.

Los Robles Regional Medical Center

Doctors are still concerned about Lawrence's internal organs, especially his kidneys, but no dialysis has been ordered. Carraway said the actor will likely remain hospitalized for several weeks.

"When you come in with a temperature of 107, that's not very compatible with life," said critical care nurse Susie Faz. "He's a very lucky man."

It was unknown for which film he was preparing, but it was recently reported that he would star in "See Spot Run," in which he was to play a postal worker who adopts a special dog.

Lawrence has starred in a number of movies, including Spike Lee's 1989 smash hit, "Do the Right Thing," and this year's "Life" with Eddie Murphy. His upcoming movie, "Blue Streak," is scheduled to premiere in theaters September 17.

Lawrence had some brushes with the law in the last year of "Martin," which ran from 1992 to 1997.

In May 1996, he ran into traffic on busy Ventura Boulevard and began yelling. He was led away by police, who found a loaded pistol in this pocket, then taken to Cedar-Sinai Hospital, where he was diagnosed as suffering from exhaustion and dehydration.

In 1997, he was sued by Tisha Campbell, his TV wife on "Martin," for alleged sexual harassment. The suit was eventually dropped. He was also arrested for carrying a loaded gun at the Burbank airport and for hitting a man in the face at a nightclub.

He was charged with battery in that case, sentenced to two years probation and ordered to perform community service and organize a charity fund-raiser.

Reuters contributed to this report.