TV host Simon Cowell has broken his back in an electric bicycle accident in California, according to a spokesperson.
“Simon had a fall from his bike, testing his new electric bike in the courtyard at his house in Malibu with his family. He hurt his back and was taken to hospital,” a spokeswoman told The Guardian and other news outlets.
The entertainment mogul was “doing fine” and remained under observation after a surgery at an unidentified hospital, the spokesperson said.
Cowell’s wife, Lauren, accompanied him to the hospital and has been able to see him briefly. Cowell’s overnight, six-hour surgery Saturday included placement of a metal rod.
The couple’s son and Lauren Cowell’s child by a previous marriage were with Cowell when the accident happened.
Last year, his company Syco Entertainment teamed up with a Chinese-based company, the Shanghai Media Group, to create a talent show, “The Magnificent Dancer.” Shanghai Media Group is a subsidiary of Radio and Television Station of Shanghai, which is a media outlet run by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
In May, Cowell told People magazine that he had been spending the quarantine with his son. “We definitely have more family time together now. We watch movies in the evening, play together, read books, comics, everything,” he said several months ago.
He was slated to film an “America’s Got Talent” live show on Tuesday in Universal City, California.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
