The news comes shortly after a premature death announcement was made. According to NBC News, the star was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after collapsing on Christmas Eve. Pingel told the news organization O'Brien claimed to have been asked by hospital staff to come in and say his final goodbyes on Jan. 3. O'Brien reportedly called Pingel afterwards and told him Roberts had died. Later that day, Pingel alerted the media, including TMZ, which was first to report the false news.
But on Jan. 4, Pingel told NBC News Roberts was still alive. During an interview with Inside Edition that morning, O'Brien received a phone call from the hospital informing him that Roberts had not passed away.
"Now you're telling me that she's alive?" he said at the time. "Oh, thank the lord! Thank god."
Soon, O'Brien began to cry. "The hospital's telling me she's alive, and they're calling me from the ICU," he said, later adding, "I'm so happy."
The news quickly spread, and even Roberts' former castmate Ashton Kutcher informed his former co-stars of the false reports. O'Brien described the overall situation as a "terrible, terrible experience."
Born Victoria Leigh Blum, Roberts starred in many films over the course of her lifetime, including the 1985 James Bond movie A View to a Kill. She also acted on a number of popular TV shows, including That '70s Show and Charlie's Angels.
TMZ was first to report the news.