Did You Know These Famous Celebrities Were Seriously Ill?

Missy Elliot: Graves’ Disease

Missy Elliot is one of the most successful female rappers of all time, having sold over 30 million records in the United States alone during her career that also encompasses record producing, singing, and songwriting.

The rap star (real name Melissa Arnette Elliott) suffers from an autoimmune disease called Graves’ disease, or Basedow-Graves disease.

ALSO READ: He Rapped His Way To Fame: When A Fatherless Poverty-Stricken Kid Rises To Become The Rap God, The Man Is Called Eminem!

The sickness mainly targets the thyroid, and one of the most frequent symptoms is that the thyroid enlarges in size. Missy didn’t reveal until June of 2011 in an interview with People that her illness was the real reason she stepped down from her career. The symptoms prevented her from working because they reached such a severe stage that, for a time, the star couldn’t even hold a pen to write her songs. The incurable thyroid disease is quite rare and caused the rapper to lose more than 70 pounds after her initial diagnosis.

Lil Wayne: Epilepsy

Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., first drew global attention to his health in 2012. In October of that year, his private plane, which was headed for Los Angeles, had to make an emergency stop in Texas as a result of a medical episode that had occurred mid-flight. 

It was widely reported that the rapper and label founder had suffered a seizure and required urgent medical attention. After that, more and more stories circulated of Wayne having even more seizures until he addressed the tabloids in an interview. He confirmed that he does experience seizures because of his neurological condition known as epilepsy. Though debilitating seizures must be difficult to manage along with a busy career, Wayne is a professional who has not let go of his career.Another star who suffered from epilepsy was Prince, who had been having seizures since he was a child when he opened up about it in 2009.