‘I passed away’: Jamie Foxx speaks on medical complication that left him hospitalized last year

LOS ANGELES (WGN) – The African American Film Critics Association had its annual luncheon on Sunday at the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Among the several celebrity guests present was actor Jamie Foxx, who was awarded AAFCA’s Producers Award.

Foxx took the stage to accept the award, and during his speech, he humorously touched on the medical health scare that left him hospitalized last year.

Foxx was originally hospitalized in May, receiving treatment at an Atlanta hospital for the undisclosed issue. A month later, his daughter Corrine claimed Foxx was “out of the hospital” and recuperating, and was even well enough to play pickleball. He was later reported to be undergoing treatment at a rehabilitation center in Chicago.

In his first public appearance, Foxx was also seen boating with his family on the Chicago River in July.

That same month, Foxx addressed his medical issues in an Instagram video, dispelling claims that he had been paralyzed or blinded, at one point joking that his vision was “just fine” while crossing his eyes.

In December, Foxx touched on his health scare again during the Vanguard Award for Amazon Prime Video’s “The Burial.” At the time, Foxx said he had been unable to walk. This past Sunday, Foxx touched on another experience many may take advantage of every day: drinking water.

“Cherish life, man. I have some people in my life that really made sure I was here, because it was dire straits. So I value, I’m telling you. My daughter thinks sometimes I’m too thankful, nowadays. Because I’m just so thankful. I was drinking some water, ‘Wow, have you tasted this water? It’s so wet! This is the wettest water. Was it like this before I passed away?'” Foxx joked with the crowded room.

You can see his remarks in the video from Nexstar’s WGN above.

Neither Foxx nor his family have shared any details about what happened to the actor. However, Foxx said Sunday that he will share details about last year’s medical emergency in a “funny way” and “on the stage.”

“It’ll be called, ‘What Had Happened Was,’ and it’s got all the things that happened, especially on our side of our community,” he said. Additional details have not yet been released.

Nexstar’s Michael Bartiromo contributed to this report.