RE: "since the family has the apparent right to keep a lid on any information other than whether or not Mr. Lightfoot is alive and in the hospital..." It's not an 'apparent' right - it's absolute, at least in the US and likely in Canada as well, for all patients, not just public figures. See HIPAA regulations, excerpted:
Hospitals and health systems are responsible for protecting the privacy and confidentiality of their patients and patient information. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) mandated regulations that govern privacy standards for healthcare information. HIPAA regulations specify the purposes for which information may and may not be released without authorization from the patient.
As long as the patient has not requested that information be withheld, the hospital may release the patient's one-word condition and location without obtaining prior patient authorization.
Condition. For the one-word condition, the terms “undetermined,” “good,” “fair,” “serious” or “critical” are used.
Are celebrity cases different?
No. Celebrities, public figures and public officials are not subject to different standards than other patients when it comes to hospital policies for releasing information to the media.
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For an up-close idea of what it's like from the inside when dealing with celebrity hospitalizations, read "Entertainer seeks privacy --- and gets it ---
as she gives birth" (Madonna) at
http://www.medicalnewsreport.com/med9612.htm
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