Larry Fortensky Critically Injured in Fall

Larry Fortensky, an ex-husband of actress Elizabeth Taylor, was in critical condition Thursday after apparently falling down a flight of stairs in his San Juan Capistrano home, authorities said.

Fortensky, 46, was taken to Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo after 3 a.m. with head and chest injuries, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Hector Rivera said a woman called 911 at 3:06 a.m. to report that a friend had fallen down stairs. Paramedics arrived at the home on Avenida Evita within minutes.

“There was nothing to indicate anything suspicious other than a medical aid call,” Rivera said.

Taylor’s publicist, Shirine Ann Coburn, said Taylor had been notified. The Oscar-winning actress was “deeply shocked and her prayers are with Larry Fortensky,” Coburn said.

Taylor and Fortensky met in 1988 when both were patients at the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage. They married in October 1991 at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara County. Taylor filed for divorce in February 1996, citing irreconcilable differences.

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Times wire services contributed to this story.