Celebrities hit by the coronavirus

April 06, 2020 - 10:20

British singer Marianne Faithfull joins the list of high-profile figures hit by the coronavirus, which also includes British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and heir to the throne Prince Charles.

PARIS — British singer Marianne Faithfull joins the list of high-profile figures hit by the coronavirus, which also includes British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and heir to the throne Prince Charles.

Here is a roundup:

Arts

English singer Marianne Faithfull performs on stage during the 23rd edition of the Cognac Blues Passion festival on July 08, 2016 in Cognac. — AFP/VNA Photo

Faithfull, 73, a 1960s icon and celebrated singer songwriter, has tested positive and is being treated in hospital in London, her publicists said on Saturday.

Jazz great Ellis Marsalis, died on April 1 aged 85 after contracting the virus.

Spanish opera star Placido Domingo, 79, who had tested positive and been hospitalised in Mexico, was released on March 30 and is recovering at home.

Veteran Afro-jazz star Manu Dibango, 86, on March 24 was one of the first world stars to die as a result of COVID-19.

Terrence McNally, a revered American playwright, died the same day, aged 81, following coronavirus complications.

Congolese music legend Aurlus Mabele, died on March 20 in Paris, aged 67. Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks and his wife, actress and singer Rita Wilson, have recovered and returned home to Los Angeles after being quarantined two weeks in Australia.

British actor Idris Elba had tested positive and is now out of self-isolation.

Chilean author Luis Sepulveda, who lives in Spain, has been hospitalised with the virus. The latest reports from local media on March 10 said he was in serious condition.

Politics

Boris Johnson remains in self-isolation with a high temperature after testing positive for the disease.

Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla are currently self-isolating in Scotland. —AFP/VNA Photo

Prince Charles, who tested positive and has mild symptoms, completed seven days in self-isolation, in line with British government advice, but is staying in isolation for a further seven days as a precaution.

Prince Albert II of Monaco, who had tested positive, came out of quarantine on March 31.

Former Republic of Congo president Jacques Joaquim Yhombi Opango died in France on March 30 of the virus, aged 81.

Britain's lead Brexit negotiator David Frost went into self-isolation on March 20 after showing mild symptoms.

Michel Barnier, who leads the EU's negotiations with Britain on Brexit, announced on March 19 that he had the virus and is now recovering at home.

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who said it was "extremely likely" she had contracted the illness, is recovered.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has remained in isolation though his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, who had tested positive, is now recovered.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had self-isolated after being treated by a doctor who later tested positive, has come out of quarantine after her three tests came back negative.

Nobel laureate and former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, aged 82, has contracted the virus.

Sport

Diouf led Marseille between 2005-2009 and helped build the side that lifted the Ligue 1 title in 2010. — AFP/VNA Photo

Senegal's Pape Diouf, 68, former president of French football club Olympique de Marseille, died March 31 in Dakar after contracting COVID-19.

Former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz died on March 21 aged 76, days after being hospitalised with the virus.

In Italy, several players at Juventus are infected, including France's 2018 World Cup winner Blaise Matuidi, who is asymptomatic but in quarantine, and Argentinian attacker Paulo Dybala, who said on March 27 he felt "much better".

Former AC Milan defender Paolo Maldini and his footballer son Daniel are also positive.

In England, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has tested positive and is now recovered.

NBA clubs the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers completed 14-day home isolations without any players showing symptoms, the clubs said on April 1. — AFP

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