Kathleen Marden confirmed today that her colleague and long time UFO community staple Stanton Friedman suffered a mild heart attack during the weekend at his home in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. Friedman's condition has stabilized and he is now recovering well, according to Marden.

The outspoken Friedman earned popularity in ufology circles for his research and resulting books on such topics as the Roswell incident, the alleged alien abduction of Betty and Barney Hill and the legend of the Majestic 12. Friedman supports the extraterrestrial hypothesis and asserts an alien presence to be at the heart of such cases.

The physicist turned ufologist has been highly critical of certain other claims, however, such as those made by Bob Lazar, a man alleging to have witnessed extraordinary alien-related circumstances while purportedly employed under top secret conditions at Area 51. Many aspects of Lazar's claims are questionable and extremely difficult to verify.

Friedman has long been a sought after speaker at UFO conferences, at least in part due to his willingness to passionately express his views. He co-authored work on the Hill case, among other topics, with Marden, the niece of Betty Hill.

"He is currently recovering well, while he awaits a couple of medical tests," Marden explained today via email. "His doctors have advised him to cancel his upcoming speaking engagements for the month of July. Cards may be mailed to PO Box 958, Houlton, ME, 04730. He appreciates your thoughts and prayers."