Rap mogul Marion 'Suge' Knight, who is charged with murder in a hit-and-run death, was admitted to hospital on 19 February before his scheduled Los Angeles court appearance in a separate camera theft case.

Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Mark Zuckman said in court that Knight, the 49-year-old co-founder of influential hip-hop label Death Row Records suffered from an unknown medical condition.

Knight and comedian Katt Williams, 43, were scheduled to appear in court in Los Angeles. Both men have pleaded not guilty to robbery charges in the 5 September theft of a camera in Beverly Hills. Knight had been expected to enter a plea to a new charge of terroristic threatening.

Williams' court appearance was rescheduled for Thursday afternoon.

If Knight is convicted in the camera theft case, he faces a possible sentence of 25 years to life under California's three-strikes law, which gives stiffer sentences to those previously convicted of serious felonies.

Knight has convictions from 1997 on two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, according to court documents filed by the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office.

In a separate case, Knight drew national attention when he was arrested and charged with murder, attempted murder and hit-and-run in a 29 January altercation outside a burger shop in Compton. He has been jailed without bail in that case.

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