Bob Saget Complained of Long COVID Symptoms Before Death—Crew Member

Bob Saget complained that he was suffering the effects of "long-term COVID" hours before his sudden death in January.

The beloved comedian, 65, was found dead in his room at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Orlando, Florida, on January 9, after having performed stand-up at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall in Palm Valley the night before.

In February, the star's family said in a statement that he died after he "accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it, and went to sleep."

In newly-released audio from an interview with Orange County police, Rosalie Cocci, who runs errands for staff and talent at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, shared details of her interaction with Saget on what would become his final stand-up show.

Per People, Cocci stated that Saget complained of feeling unwell and having hearing issues due to what he described as ongoing COVID symptoms.

Cocci said of Saget, who tested positive for COVID weeks before passing away: "I did hear him say, 'I don't feel good but I'm ready to do the show. This is what I do this for.' He kinda seemed like he was talking himself up.

"He stated himself that… it was taking his body a long time to get over [COVID]. He said that his hearing had been off and that was the case that night. He was asking the sound guys to turn everything up."

Cocci, who said that Saget's soundcheck "lasted a while," added: "He said he had been sick the night before, he said he had a sore throat, that he was happy he had lozenges for the stage."

With a part of her job involving the purchase of refreshments for Saget, Cocci said that on the night of his performance his list was "cut-down in half."

"All there was on there was drinks. He wanted Red Bull, Diet Coke and regular Coke and that was it," stated Cocci, who added that she did not see Saget "ingest" anything throughout the course of the evening, "not even water on stage."

Cocci told police that Saget "seemed OK" despite his complaints, explaining: "He wasn't sweating, he didn't miss a beat, nothing slurred. He seemed OK. He really did and it was very surprising the next day… He came out very energetic, and in the half-an-hour, I saw him, he was very much entertaining the crowd."

Brian Bieber, attorney for the Saget family, told Newsweek: "The records released tell the entire story—that is—Bob passed away after a fall and hitting his head in his hotel room.

"Now that the medical examiner's and police department's records have been released after their respective thorough investigations, the Saget family would appreciate privacy to mourn in peace."

According to an autopsy on Saget, a PCR test detected signs of COVID-19. The star said in early January that he had contracted the virus, but didn't specify when. A PCR test can detect COVID weeks after someone has recovered.

In his trademark comedic style, Saget urged his Twitter followers to get the COVID vaccine, writing last August: "Please people, I don't wanna preach, but please get your visine today. Sorry, auto-correct—I meant vaccine… Help save eyes… Sorry, damn this auto-correct! I meant save lives."

Per an incident report shared last week, the autopsy conducted by Chief Medical Examiner Joshua Stephany, M.D., stated that Saget's head injury could have been caused by "a fall onto a carpeted floor."

Stephany added: "The headboard of the bed was lightly padded and set slightly out from the wall. These are listed here as possible mechanisms of injury, but nothing was located in the room that allows for a definitive conclusion."

In February, Saget's widow, Kelly Rizzo, and his daughters, Aubrey, Lara and Jennifer, sued Orange County Sheriff John Mina and the District Nine Medical Examiner's Office in a bid to keep personal autopsy records confidential.

They also requested that video, audio recordings, photographs and other materials gathered through the investigations into Saget's death be exempt from public request records.

Circuit Court Judge Vincent Chiu granted a permanent injunction, with the Orlando Sentinel reporting that while officials had taken 147 photos during their investigation, 57 of them would not be protected by any statutory exemption.

Updated, 3/24/22 11:10 ET: This article was updated to include a statement from the Saget family's lawyer.