Former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley hospitalized, officials say

CHICAGO - Former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley was hospitalized Wednesday night after he was feeling "out of sorts," his longtime spokeswoman told the Sun-Times.

Daley was in his downtown home with his eldest daughter, Nora Daley Conroy, when he had what his family called a "health scare," his former mayoral press secretary, Jacquelyn Heard said.

He was transported from his home to Northwestern Hospital in serious condition and remained there overnight to undergo a battery of tests.

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Heard said Daley was "talking and alert" and in a good mood — and that he wanted to express his gratitude to the nurses, doctors, and fire department for taking care of him.

Richard Daley, former mayor of Chicago and counsel with Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, participates in a panel discussion at the annual Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., on Tuesday, May 1, 2012. The conference brings

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Daley celebrated his 80th birthday on April 24 of this year. He is the city's longest-serving mayor, leading the city from 1989 to 2011.

He has continued to be active and do workouts, although not at the same level of his physical routine before he suffered stroke-like symptoms impacting his speech in 2014.

Daley has generally kept a low profile, attending social events, including dinners at Gibson’s, but skipping political events. He has refused interview requests from reporters looking to get his take on the increase in crime during the pandemic, particularly in his downtown neighborhood.

In 1976, his father, former Mayor Richard J. Daley, suffered a heart attack and was taken by ambulance to Northwestern, where he died at age 74.

The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.