Luther Vandross Suffers Stroke

Pete C · April-18th-2003, 01:12 PM

Luther Vandross Suffers Stroke
Updated 08:25 PDT Fri, Apr 18 2003
NEW YORK (AP) _ Grammy-winner Luther Vandross is recovering from a stroke, but it wasn't clear whether the R&B singer's motor skills have been impaired, his spokeswoman said.
Vandross, who turns 52 on Sunday, suffered the stroke Wednesday, according to a statement from his business manager, Carmen Romano.
"Family and friends are hopeful for a speedy recovery," the statement said. No further details about his condition were included.
Lois Najarian, a spokeswoman at Vandross' label, J Records, confirmed that the singer was hospitalized in New York, but said she had received no further information.
"We're all very optimistic at this point," Najarian said in a telephone interview.
Vandross, whose deep silky voice has anchored romantic hits such as "Here and Now," "A House is Not a Home" and "Any Love," has sold about 20 million albums in the United States alone.
Najarian said he was in good health and had recently completed work on a new album.
Vandross has long battled weight problems. At one point, he weighed more than 330 pounds, and his weight fluctuated dramatically over the years.
Vandross told The Associated Press in a 2001 interview that his excess weight had led to diabetes and hypertension, but he had been able to keep his weight down for three years through diet and exercise.
However, the singer recently had gained weight again.
Vandross won four Grammy awards in the 1990s. His new album was scheduled for a June release.

RainyDay · April-18th-2003, 01:17 PM

Oh, no, no, no, no. Not Luther.

Gentle Giant · April-18th-2003, 02:00 PM

I'm hip to how hard it is to maintain the weight thing. He looked very fine and svelte after his first big weight loss, although (and I hope this doesn't sound crass or cruel), I think he lost a lot of power and fullness in his voice at the same time. Hopefully there will be a minimim of permanent damage, and nothing that prevents him from continuing his career.

gonzo · April-18th-2003, 05:46 PM

he really has been one of the great singers of our era. heres hoping all turns out well. he'd losee 100 pounds then gain it back over and over again, that must have played hell with his body. my prayers go out to him and his family.

patricia · April-18th-2003, 06:50 PM

I too hope that Vandross recovers completely. I couldn't help but think, over the years, that losing the same over a hundred pounds, a few times, couldn't have been good for his health, aside from his singing voice changing or not. Even continually losing the same thirty or forty pounds is hard on a person's system. Couple that with stress and you've go a timebomb, it seems to me.

Ron Thorne · April-19th-2003, 01:03 AM

What a bummer!

I too hope that Luther fully recovers to annoint us with his powerful, soulful interpretations... and soon!

He's so young! I appreciate the fact that he's been battling weight gain/loss for years, however. I've mentioned to Patti that as happy as I was to see Luther seem happy with his "new" body image (a couple of times), that it only felt like a short-term solution. As with many, unless they're actually in grave danger, physically, I'd rather see them not resort to drastic measures which are a shock to their bodies/systems.

Get well, Luther.

hornplayer · April-20th-2003, 01:33 AM

I agree with you Ron, but every time I see Aretha on TV, I'm afraid she's soon going to explode. All that excess weight can't possibly be good for her.

patricia · April-20th-2003, 02:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by hornplayer
I agree with you Ron, but every time I see Aretha on TV, I'm afraid she's soon going to explode. All that excess weight can't possibly be good for her.

I agree. However, I'm reminded of something my family doctor said, years ago. He told me that he never advises anyone to lose weight, unless it's threatening their overall health. He said that the reason was that people who are hugely overweight tend to go on diets which promise quick results, which they usually deliver, along with quick return to at least the former weight, which creates tremendous stress, if done over and over. I suspect that Luther found it difficult to actually change his eating habits and returned to the bad ones, thus regaining the weight and putting undue stress on his system. As Ron says, better to just adjust to the excess weight, if you're otherwise healthy.

I suspect that Aretha is struggling, carrying all that weight, but I don't know what the other factors are, so she may be perfectly healthy. She certainly has packed on the pounds in the last few years though.

Ron Thorne · April-20th-2003, 04:10 AM

I agree that Aretha does not look healthy, especially since I well remember how differently she looked when I first saw her perform. I'm simply reacting to what I'm afraid is the negative impact of the "yo-yo syndrome" (weight loss/weight gain), made more dramatic and newsworthy with folks such as Luther.

gonzo · April-21st-2003, 01:55 AM

she always seems to be wearing gowns that are 3-4 sizes too small.

mke · April-21st-2003, 04:57 AM

Luther Vandross Recovering From Stroke

Grammy-winner Luther Vandross is recovering from a stroke, but it wasn't clear whether the R&B singer's motor skills have been impaired, his spokesperson said. Vandross, who turns 52 on Sunday (April 20), suffered the stroke Wednesday, according to a statement from his business manager, Carmen Romano. "Family and friends are hopeful for a speedy recovery," the statement said. No further details about his condition were included.

A spokesperson at Vandross' label, J Records, confirmed that the singer was hospitalized in New York, but said there was no further information. "We're all very optimistic at this point," the spokesperson said.

Vandross' deep, silky voice has anchored romantic hits such as "Here and Now, "A House is Not a Home," and "Any Love." As previously reported, he had recently completed work on a new album, "Dance With My Father," which is due for a June 17 release by J.

The J spokesperson said Vandross was in good health, but the artist has long battled weight problems. At one point, he weighed more than 330 pounds, and his weight fluctuated dramatically over the years.

Vandross said in a 2001 interview that his excess weight had led to diabetes and hypertension, but he had been able to keep his weight down for three years through diet and exercise. However, the singer recently had gained weight again.

(Billboard.com)