Charlie Sheen was "partying" before his hospitalization in Los Angeles according to a friend, but he did not overdose on drugs.

ADVERTISEMENT

"He definitely did not OD but, yes, he was partying," the friend told People.com.

Sheen's publicist confirmed he was hospitalized Thursday morning with abdominal pains, but his specific ailment and condition had not been officially announced.

Sheen, 45, is the star of the sitcom "Two and a Half Men." His successful career has been marred by his legal woes, battles with drug and alcohol addiction, and failed marriages to Denise Richards and Brooke Mueller.

Some media reports said he was using cocaine and drinking heavily before he was transported by ambulance to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Other outlets said the actor suffered a hernia.

"He doesn't think he's going to die. He doesn't want to stop. In his eyes, he thinks: 'I'm having fun, so what? I'm making $2 million a week, the show has the best ratings, I show up for up work. What's the problem?'" the friend said.

"He's got so many people saying they're concerned and they have the power to help him but you can't force things on someone, you can't make him get help. He loves the attention, he loves to shock people, he loves that he gets away with all of this. And he can because there are no consequences -- that's the problem. It's who he is, like it or leave it. Maybe, at 22, you're with five hookers, so what? But when you're his age and a father, it's just ridiculous."

A second friend told People.com Sheen was hospitalized in serious condition.

"Doctors are still trying to figure out exactly what it was. They're running a lot of blood tests," the second source said. "The crazy thing is, he'll probably be just fine. It's part of why he doesn't see the problem."

TV's "Extra" quoted Sheen as telling a third source from his hospital bed, "I'm not dying."