PROVIDENCE — Comedian and former host of “The Tonight Show” Jay Leno, who was spotted at the popular greasy spoon Wally’s Weiners in Newport in July, has suffered “serious burns” from a gas fire, he said in a statement to the Globe.
Leno, an Andover, Mass., native and Emerson College graduate, is known for his extravagant collection of cars and was reportedly injured when gasoline ignited at his Los Angeles garage.
“I got some serious burns from a gasoline fire. I am OK. Just need a week or two to get back on my feet,” the host said in his statement.
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Leno has been seen on Aquidneck Island, which includes Newport, Middletown, and Portsmouth, since he purchased a home on Ocean Avenue in Newport in 2017. And in July he was pictured at Wally’s with a burger, fries, and its famous Saugy dog, a Rhode Island staple that has a characteristic “snap” to each bite. Saugy’s is a family-owned and operated business based in Cranston since 1869. Their recipe, they say, was brought over from Germany in the late 1800s.
News of a medical injury surfaced after the 72-year-old comic missed a performance in Las Vegas “due to a health issue” on Sunday night, according to People magazine.
Leno is being treated at the Grossman Burn Center in Los Angeles, according to a report by TMZ. The outlet reports that he had burns to the left side of his face.
Leno was the host of “The Tonight Show” from 1992 to 2009, and can now be seen on his show “Leno’s Garage,” Wednesdays at 10 p.m.on CNBC, and his game show “You Bet Your Life,” on Fox, with longtime friend Kevin Eubanks.
This article has been updated with a statement from Jay Leno, and to add a link to a story about Leno’s current condition.
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Carlos Muñoz can be reached at carlos.munoz@globe.com. Follow him @ReadCarlos and on Instagram @Carlosbrknews.