Marion Barry Released from Hospital After 16 Days

Marion Barry was released from Howard University Hospital today following a 16-day stay for a blood infection, a spokeswoman for the Ward 8 DC Council member says.

Barry, 77, was admitted January 11, and his illness, the latest in a string of health problems for the District’s mayor-for-life, was disclosed a week later at the Ward 8 Democrats’ mayoral straw poll. His last publicly disclosed hospital stay came last April, when he was treated for a drop in blood sugar. He also entered a Las Vegas hospital in 2012 with a blood clot while attending a conference there.

“He’s doing well,” says Barry’s spokeswoman, LaToya Foster, who adds that she visited Barry on Sunday night. But Foster does not know when Barry will return to work.

Benjamin Freed

Staff Writer

Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.