Coca-Cola Chairman In Critical Condition

Coca-Cola chairman Roberto C. Goizueta lay in critical condition Monday with a throat infection related to treatments for lung cancer.

The 65-year-old Goizueta was in intensive care at Emory University Hospital.

Goizueta sent a letter to the Coca-Cola board last week saying he did not expect to attend Thursday’s meeting. He hasn’t missed a board meeting since he became chairman of the soft drink giant 16 years ago.

Goizueta was hospitalized Sept. 6 after being diagnosed with cancer and began chemotherapy and radiation treatments. He was released from Emory on Sept. 22 and continued the regimen but was readmitted to the hospital last Tuesday with the throat infection. Chemotherapy weakens the immune system, making the infection more dangerous.

M. Douglas Ivester, Coke’s president and chief operating officer, has been widely viewed as the heir-apparent. Ivester, 50, was made the company’s No. 2 executive in 1994.