Tabitha King hospitalized at EMMC

BANGOR – Tabitha King was hospitalized at Eastern Maine Medical Center on Tuesday morning after experiencing chest pains and difficulty breathing, according to a hospital spokeswoman. King, 51, remained in EMMC Wednesday for evaluation.

The writer and wife of author Stephen King called 911 about 7 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Bangor Fire Department. She was taken to EMMC by ambulance from the couple’s West Broadway home.

While not as famous as her husband, King has published eight books, a majority of them novels set in Nodd’s Ridge. The fictional town is loosely based on the North Lovell community in western Maine where the Kings have a summer home.

The couple is as well-known in their hometown of Bangor for their philanthropy as they are for the horror novels penned by Stephen King. The Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation has made major contributions to the Bangor Public Library, the Maine Discovery Museum, Hayford Park and many others.

The Kings also have publicly supported political candidates including Rep. John Baldacci and Gov. Angus King. Over the years, the couple also has made major contributions to support or oppose state referendum questions.

Central Maine Medical Center officials in Lewiston were overwhelmed with flowers, gifts and get-well wishes from fans of Stephen King after he was struck by a van two years ago in June. An EMMC official said Wednesday afternoon that the hospital did not anticipate that Tabitha King’s hospitalization would elicit such a huge response.

“And, if it happens, we’ll deal with it,” said Jill McDonald, an EMMC spokeswoman.