TLC singer T-Boz, whose real name is Tionne Watkins, has been hospitalized following a sickle cell crisis while on the group's It's Iconic Tour.
A statement obtained by USA Today on Sept. 2 from the representative for TLC confirmed her absence from recent concerts alongside tour mates Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue. The representative stated, "Tionne recently experienced a sickle cell crisis that required hospitalization, and she is currently recovering and regaining her strength."
Her fellow bandmate Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas has continued performing on the tour. The team's message explained, "Because the It's Iconic Tour is such an interactive show, we made the decision to continue with Chilli performing and receiving incredible support from Salt-N-Pepa, En Vogue, and most importantly, the fans."
The statement added, "The love shown for T-Boz has been overwhelming. Hearing audiences sing her parts, lift her up in prayer, and surround TLC with so much love has meant more than we can express." Requesting ongoing support, the team concluded, "Sickle cell is a serious illness, so we ask everyone to please keep the prayers coming as Tionne continues to recover. We are immensely grateful for the love and support." E! News reached out to TLC's representatives for additional comment but has not yet received a response.
During an Aug. 28 concert in Connecticut, 55-year-old Chilli addressed the audience regarding her bandmate's condition, according to videos circulating on social media. "My sister is not here right now," Chilli said onstage. "She has sickle cell. I think most of you know all the stuff that goes on with sickle cell when she has an episode, which is what's happening right now, but she's so much better." She emphasized to the crowd, "I want to ask each and every one of you to help me hold her down tonight. So thank you in advance for your support and understanding and this is for T-Boz."
Watkins, who is a mother to 25-year-old daughter Chase with ex Mack 10 and 11-year-old son Chance whom she adopted in 2016, was diagnosed with the blood disorder at age 7 and publicly disclosed her condition in 1996 at age 26. Speaking on ABC News in 2017, she recalled how the illness required her to take weeks or months off work even at the peak of TLC's career. "I was told at 7 years old I would never live past 30," Watkins shared. "I would be disabled my whole life and never have kids. But I've traveled the world with TLC. I've worked with Michael Jackson."
Emergency Surgeries and Sports Injuries
In May 2026, BFFs podcaster Brianna "Chickenfry" LaPaglia underwent emergency surgery after doctors discovered a large ovarian cyst that was twisting her organs and causing internal bleeding. Sharing details in a TikTok video after the operation, LaPaglia said, "There was a half a liter of blood in my pelvic floor. I have five incisions all over my stomach. They went in through my belly button with a camera so they could find all the blood."
Former Total Bellas star Nikki Garcia revealed that one of her breast implants shifted following an elbow slam from fellow WWE star Piper Niven during a July 2025 wrestling match. At the time, Garcia told her sister Bella Garcia, "It's OK. We're going to get it fixed one day. I told the doctor, I go, 'Newly divorced, so the minute the boots are hung up, I'm going to come back to you and we're going to make these girls look real good, because these girls are going to get some action in the future and that can't look like that.'"
Racing Louisville midfielder and United States Women's National Team player Savannah DeMelo collapsed minutes into a Sept. 14 match against Seattle Reign at Lumen Field in Seattle. According to Reuters, DeMelo slowly sat down on the field alongside a teammate as the referee summoned trainers, before collapsing seconds later. The National Women's Soccer League wrote on X later that night, "Savannah received immediate on-field care from medical personnel and was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation. She is stable and alert."
American Hockey League player Casey Fitzgerald received 25 stitches after being cut by another player's skate blade during a game in December 2024. After his full recovery, his father, New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald, told ESPN, "We're very lucky. I don't wish that on any parent."
Chronic Conditions and Long-Term Diagnoses
The 12 Years a Slave star Lupita Nyong'o, who won an Oscar for her performance in 2014, was diagnosed that same year with uterine fibroids, which are non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the uterus. Disclosing the diagnosis in 2025 on Instagram after suffering in silence for more than a decade, Nyong'o wrote, "When we reach puberty, we're taught periods mean pain, and that pain is simply part of being a woman. We're struggling alone with something that affects us most."
Life & Beth creator Amy Schumer recalled on a January 2025 episode of Call Her Daddy how social media users commented on her puffier face during press appearances, leading doctors to comment that something appeared wrong. Schumer learned that steroid injections she received in her scars following a breast reduction and C-section caused Cushing syndrome. In a February 2024 News Not Noise newsletter, she shared, "Finding out I have the kind of Cushing that will just work itself out and I'm healthy was the greatest news imaginable."
Daisy Jones & The Six star Suki Waterhouse revealed on X in July 2025 that she had been hospitalized six months earlier for a hernia, a gap in the muscular wall commonly found in the abdomen or groin, caused by wearing tight pants. She wrote, "'Suki you never tweet anymore.' Have you ever considered I wore pants so tight 6 months ago it caused a hernia & I’ve been too scared to tell you?"
Big Little Lies star Shailene Woodley disclosed on a September 2024 episode of the SHE MD Podcast that she struggled with severe physical symptoms throughout her early twenties, including hearing loss, an inability to walk for longer than five minutes without needing hours of sleep, and severe stomach pain. Woodley, who studied herbalism and comes from a holistic background, consulted MDs and independent healers over a ten-year journey that also triggered body dysmorphia and identity confusion before her physical health ultimately resolved.
Physical Accidents and Acute Trauma
Beverly Hills, 90210 alum Brian Austin Green underwent surgery in April 2025 for a perforated appendix that nearly burst. In an Instagram video, Green stated, "Last week, I started feeling some pain in my stomach. I ended up going to the emergency room, and I had a perforated appendix. Not quite burst, but just before." He described the recovery as a difficult process following his first major surgery.
Actor Adam Devine shared on a 2025 episode of the In Depth With Graham Bensinger podcast that injuries sustained from being struck by a cement truck at age 11 continue to cause him spasms. Devine noted, "It’s been a nightmare. I have spasms all over. For a while, [the doctors] told me I was dying, literally, within this last year." He added that pain comes and goes and that his body has things that are wonky and wrong with it.
Bachelor Nation alum Jason Tartick revealed on a March 2025 episode of his Trading Secrets podcast that he went to the hospital crawling on all fours due to severe back pain aggravated during an RV trip with a friend. Tartick explained, "Right now, knees to my toes, it’s, like, still tingly, which is crazy. And to put in perspective, I don’t know, man, like not to sound douchey, but like two, three weeks ago, maybe a month ago, I was squatting probably like 295 pounds. And right now, I can’t do a squat on my foot. I can’t do a one legged squat, I fall. It’s like I had a stroke or something." He noted he was recovering with help from a back specialist and steroids.
Even Stevens and Kim Possible star Christy Carlson Romano revealed in February 2025 that she was shot in the face during a clay pigeon shooting trip for her husband Brendan Rooney's birthday. Romano wrote on Instagram, "There was another party with us and they unsafely fired in the wrong direction and shot me in the face. @thebrendanrooney immediately sprung into action, assessed me, and rushed me to the hospital. I was hit in 5 places, one was less than an inch from hitting me directly in my right eye." She explained that a fragment lodged behind her eye was too risky to remove surgically, adding, "I love my daughters, husband, family, and friends so much. I saw my life flash before my eyes and I’m telling you, hug the people around you every chance you can. Life can change in an instant."
Severe Medical Emergencies and Recovery
Real Housewives of Orange County star Gina Kirschenheiter shared that her ex-husband Matt Kirschenheiter survived a heart attack in March 2025.
30 Rock star Tracy Morgan was wheeled out of Madison Square Garden during a New York Knicks basketball game in March 2025, later clarifying on social media that the medical emergency was caused by food poisoning.
Model Hailey Bieber suffered stroke-like symptoms in March 2022 while having breakfast with her husband Justin Bieber. In an April 2022 YouTube video, she recalled that her face drooped and she lost speech. Hospital scans revealed a small blood clot in her brain, classified as a transient ischemic attack (TIA), caused by a patent foramen ovale (PFO) heart defect that was later successfully closed. In June 2022, Justin Bieber revealed his diagnosis of Ramsay Hunt syndrome via an Instagram video, explaining that a virus attacked his facial nerves, causing facial paralysis, blinking issues, and difficulty eating, which forced the cancellation of his Justice World Tour. His wife confirmed on Good Morning America later that month that his condition had improved.
Django Unchained star Jamie Foxx detailed his April 2023 hospitalization in his 2024 Netflix special What Had Happened Was..., explaining that a severe headache in Atlanta preceded a 20-day memory gap. After a doctor initially administered a cortisone shot, his sister Deidra Dixon drove him to a hospital, where physicians discovered a brain bleed that caused a stroke. Foxx woke up in a wheelchair on May 4 unable to walk, underwent rehabilitation in Chicago, and expressed gratitude for public prayers.
The Biggest Loser contestant Tracey Yukich recalled on Fit for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser that her organs began shutting down due to rhabdomyolysis while running a mile during the NBC show's first challenge. Yukich stated, "I don't remember a lot. I remember hearing the helicopter. I just felt like I was floating. And then my grandpa was there. And then I saw darkness. But then I saw light. So I knew, I knew I died that day."
Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke revealed in a 2019 New Yorker essay titled "A Battle for My Life" that she suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage caused by a ruptured arterial aneurysm while at the gym. Clarke underwent immediate surgery, experienced temporary aphasia, and later underwent open skull surgery in 2013 after a brain scan showed a growth had doubled in size, ultimately making a full recovery.
Cori Broadus, daughter of Snoop Dogg and star of Snoop's Fatherhood: Cori and Wayne's Story, suffered a severe stroke in January 2024. Broadus told E! News correspondent Will Marfuggi in December 2024 that her recovery required an extended hospital stay due to lupus and failing kidneys, though her motor skills have since improved.
