Actor Burt Reynolds has made a rare public appearance.
Actor Burt Reynolds made a rare public appearance. Reuters

Burt Reynolds stirred online speculation about his health following a weekend appearance at Wizard World Comic Con in Philadelphia, his first such appearance after years of shying away from the limelight. The veteran actor’s appearance was described as frail.

While Reynolds talked with his usual charm coupled with sarcasm, his reportedly feeble appearance caused a stir in social media. According to tweets rounded up by Yahoo News, many thought his health has declined so much, his sudden attendance at the event was how he chose to spend his last days. Some of his fans were outraged by the speculation, pointing out he had just overcome health issues and “celebrities age too.” Meanwhile, Reynolds has not commented.

A week earlier, the 79-year-old revealed he was looking forward to his very first comic con. Speaking to the Philadelphia Inquirer, he said: “I think it's a good time to find out what it's all about. I always enjoy talking to fans and I'm usually very pleased with their curiosity about my career, what I'm doing, what I'm not doing, and why I'm not doing more."

Reynolds, who walks with a cane, lately has opted for voiceover work in video games and off-camera projects, including episodes of “American Dad!” and “Archer,” rather than movies or TV. He has also been struggling with his health since a back surgery in 2009 and a quintuple bypass in 2010.

However, the “Boogie Nights” star's recent public absence reportedly is due in part to the second memoir on which he's working, “But Enough About Me.” Us Weekly reported the book, which is to be available in November, will look back on big events of his life, including his time in rehab for an addiction to painkillers and other health problems.

The book will also talk about his nearly 60-year acting career and the memorable artists with whom he worked, including famous loves Sally Field, Dinah Shore and Loni Anderson. "When you write a book like this, you have to tell the whole thing, and there are days when everything isn't wonderful and there were people who I thought were a----,” he said, adding since he started acting in the 1959 series “Riverboat,” there’s “an awful lot to reminisce about."

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