Reese Witherspoon's Father, 84, Hospitalized After Pool Incident at Nashville Home

Reese Witherspoon's father rushed to hospital after being found near pool at Nashville home

Los Angeles, August 8

A source told Page Six that a fellow resident spotted John from their balcony and alerted the building's doorman. The doorman and building manager subsequently found Witherspoon near the pool and checked on him.

"The doorman and building manager rolled him over and they said, 'Dr. Witherspoon, are you OK?'" the source said. "He blinked his eyes, and that's when he was rushed to the hospital."

Nashville Metro confirmed to Page Six that a medical incident took place at John's condominium building on Friday and that an individual was transported to a hospital. Authorities, however, did not disclose the person's identity.

Reese Witherspoon's representatives have been contacted for comment.

John and his wife, Mary Elizabeth, known as "Betty," raised Reese and their older son, John, in Nashville. Both of Reese's parents worked in the medical field, with Betty working as a nurse and John serving as a surgeon specialising in otolaryngology, which deals with conditions involving the ears, nose and throat.

John also served as a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army Reserves. According to People, he was stationed in Germany for several years during Reese's childhood. The family later settled in Nashville after John completed his draft obligation during the Vietnam War.

John and Betty separated in the 1990s and began living apart. Details of their marital situation came to public attention in 2012, when Betty filed a bigamy lawsuit against John after learning from a local newspaper that he had married Tricianne Taylor.

Betty sought to have the second marriage annulled, alleging that John had not divorced her before marrying again. In the lawsuit, she said the couple had been living separate lives because of John's alleged struggles with alcohol, infidelity and hoarding. She also stated that she had not divorced him and continued to love him.

In 2018, Betty told Australian publication Women's Day that she and John had reconciled, according to People.

"He has moved back in with me," she said at the time, adding that they had been back together for "quite a while" and were "still married."

Both of Reese's parents were present when the actress won the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of June Carter Cash in Walk the Line at the 2006 Academy Awards, according to Page Six.

While Reese has frequently shared candid moments with her mother on social media, her father has appeared less often in her posts. In 2020, however, she shared a rare photograph of John on Instagram Stories for Father's Day. The picture showed the father-daughter duo taking a walk and was captioned, "Hey Dad!"

— ANI