Richard Gere 'Recovering' From Pneumonia He Caught During Family Vacation in Mexico | “The Worst Has Already Passed”

Gere had acquired a terrible cough before the exotic trip, which became so severe that he had to check himself into a hospital.

Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Carlos Alvarez

By Suchitra B

February 20, 2023

Posted February 20, 2023

Richard Gere is recovering. The 73-year-old actor contracted pneumonia while on vacation in Mexico celebrating his wife Alejandra Silva's 40th birthday, PEOPLE reported. Silva, 40, thanked her followers for their support during the Maybe I Do actor's illness in an Instagram post on Sunday, February 19, morning that included a picture of herself and her husband strolling hand in hand with one of their sons. "I woke up this morning and I saw the news and all your kind and [worried] messages, he is recovering. He is [feeling] much better today!" Silva wrote of Gere. The devoted wife, thankful for her husband's recovery, added, "The worst has already passed! Thank you all for your sweet messages we really appreciate them!"

Silva's most recent post follows one she published on Instagram earlier in the week showing herself on a picturesque beach with her 4-year-old son Alexander and his younger sibling, who the publicist and actor Gere welcomed in April 2020, rushed ahead of them. "Thank you all for the birthday wishes... after almost 3 weeks of everyone being sick in our family, today finally I feel much better!" Silva wrote in the caption. "Thank you for all the love! I give it all back to you," she thanked her followers.

Gere acquired a terrible cough before the exotic trip he and his wife took, which lingered while he was there. According to TMZ, the cough became so severe that he had to check himself into a hospital, where he was diagnosed with pneumonia and treated overnight. It's unclear when he was admitted to the hospital, but he was released the next day. Gere was then given antibiotics to assist him to recover from his illness. For the time being, TMZ's sources shared that he appears to be doing considerably better.

In addition to their two sons, Gere has a 22-year-old son Homer with ex-wife Carey Lowell, and Silva has a 9-year-old son Albert from a previous marriage. Before they started dating in 2014, Gere and Silva had known each other for nearly a decade.

A source told PEOPLE in April 2018 that the married couple was "extraordinarily happy," adding, "They're so comfortable with each other, have fun together and are looking forward to their future together." Upon the announcement of their marriage, another source who has known Gere for years told PEOPLE that he "has been much happier in this half of his life because he is settled, confident and doing what he likes."