Pro basketball player Lamar Odom reportedly remains on life support after a series of strokes, as it emerged he spent $75,000 on his four-day visit to a Las Vegas brothel.
The estranged husband of Khloe Kardashian is said to be in a critical condition after being found unconscious at the Love Ranch on Tuesday.
There has been no official comment on the 35-year-old’s health, but police have described it as possibly being the result of a drug-related medical episode.
Love Ranch spokesman Richard Hunter said Odom had scheduled his brothel visit on Saturday a week in advance and it was his first ever visit.
He allegedly chose two women to accompany him.
Under Nevada law, prostitutes negotiate services and prices privately with customers as independent contractors.
The brothel owner, Dennis Hof, gets 50%.
Odom spent about $75,000 for a minimum four-day stay, Mr Hof said.
The site has a five-day maximum policy, but the owner said the sportsman talked about staying the entire week to celebrate Mr Hof’s recent birthday.
When he got to the brothel, Odom told at least one of the women he had done a “small amount of cocaine” that day, Mr Hunter said.
He added Odom knew the brothel has a strict anti-drugs policy, and the only drugs anyone there saw him take were herbal sexual performance enhancement capsules.
Meanwhile, Khloe Kardashian and Mr Hof have rowed over media attention as dozens of reporters stake out the SunriseHospital & MedicalCenter in Las Vegas.
Kardashian’s representatives have asked Mr Hof not to speak to the press.
But he said: “I know what happened. I’m the one protecting my business and telling the truth about it.”
People magazine, citing a source close to the family, said Kardashian was given the task of making medical decisions about Odom’s treatment, but was “overwhelmed” by the unexpected responsibility.
“She had been thinking of him as an ex, so to find out that, ‘No, you have to do this,’ well that’s really hard for her,” the magazine quoted the source as saying.
Kardashian’s mother, Kris Jenner, posted a photo of Odom in his Lakers uniform on her Instagram account, asking fans to “please pray for Lamar #ourfighter”.
The Kardashian-Jenner clan issued a statement on Thursday night saying they’ve decided to halt all publishing on their apps in support of Odom.
Currently a free agent, Odom last played for the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2012-2013 season and is no longer attached to any NBA team.