Pickens says his life in ‘fourth quarter’

The health of T. Boone Pickens, the famed 89-year-old oil-field wildcatter, financier and corporate raider, has taken a turn for the worse after a “Texas-sized fall” put him in the hospital last week.

In a posting to LinkedIn, Pickens said that he is still mentally strong but that as far as his life goes, “I clearly am in the fourth quarter.”

Pickens, the founder and chairman of the Dallas investment firm BP Capital, suffered several strokes around Christmas and has been undergoing speech therapy. He said he has regained 90 percent of his speech through aggressive therapy and determination.

“Many of those who face adversity like this at 89 choose to hide it,” he wrote. “My life has always been an open book. Some chapters of my life have been great. Others not so much.”

The fall, he said, is just a setback. Pickens said he can still comprehend and process information well but has difficulty speaking clearly. He remains upbeat about the future.

“That’s the way to approach life. Be the eternal optimist who is excited to see what the next decade will bring,” he said.