Ex-President Bush Hospitalized After Irregular Heartbeat

Former President George Bush was admitted to a hospital with an irregular heartbeat Thursday night after feeling ill at a reception, a spokesman said. He was kept overnight for observation.

Bush, 75, had been on his feet for about 90 minutes at a reception at the Registry Resort when he felt lightheaded, spokesman Jim McGrath said.

Aides sat him down and he claimed to feel better, McGrath said. He was driven to the airport for a return flight to his Houston home, but still felt ill and was taken to Naples Community Hospital.

He was expected to be released today, McGrath said.

The career politician, diplomat and 41st president of the United States is generally considered to be healthy. He suffered an irregular heartbeat during a jog on May 4, 1991, and was later found to have a thyroid condition called Graves disease.

In his youth, he also sat out one year of school at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., with a serious respiratory illness.

After leaving office, Bush largely stayed out of the spotlight. He made headlines in March 1997 when, at age 72, he made a successful parachute jump.

Bush said he had promised himself a jump for fun after a parachute jump during World War II. He repeated the feat in June 1999, a few days shy of his 75th birthday.

His son George W. Bush is a Republican candidate for president.