Luther Vandross

[timster]

NEW YORK (AP) -- Grammy-winning singer Luther Vandross was resting comfortably in a hospital Friday after suffering a stroke, his spokeswoman said.

Vandross, who turns 52 on Sunday, suffered the stroke Wednesday at his Manhattan home, said Lois Najarian, a spokeswoman at his record label, J Records.

Najarian declined to discuss whether the R&B singer's motor skills had been impaired or the extent of the stroke. She also declined to name the hospital where Vandross was being treated.

An earlier statement from his management said family and friends were hopeful for a speedy recovery. A source close to the singer described the stroke as serious, but said Vandross was conscious.
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.

Najarian said the singer had been in good health and recently completed work on a new album.

But Vandross, who has suffered from hypertension and diabetes, has long battled weight problems. At one point, he weighed more than 330 pounds.

"Rumors about my health always surface," he told The Associated Press in 2001, "because people see the weight fluctuations."
Vandross said in the interview that since he had lost weight through diet and exercise, he no longer suffered from diabetes or high blood pressure. However, he recently had gained weight again.

Vandross won four Grammy Awards in the 1990s. His new album, "Dance With My Father," was scheduled for a June 10 release.

[Taz]

That's a bummer. Health problems are no fun... and when you're an entertainer, there's more stress added.

[K-Bee]

Sad news indeed. Luther's one of my all time favorite singers and I've been an avid follower of his music since the mid 80's.

The world really cannot afford to loose a voice like that even though his releases have been somehow uneven throughout the last couple of years (the duet with Mariah Carey in 1995 definetely being the artistic low point of his career). He is still one of the best balladeers to grow out of the late 70's disco movement and he is one of the few vocalist who managed to survive the transformation from disco artist into genuin soul singer.

Luther's weight has been jumping up and down during the last 25 years...I guess the human body can only take a certain amount of physical change. he even published a book on how to loose weight a few years back. Too bad his own diet advice didn't work out for the big guy himself.

I sincerely hope for a speedy recovery.

[suzanne]

My Goodness, I didn't even know that happened to him!! I hope he has a speedy Recovery!! Awesome Singer in my Book:thumbsup:

[timster]

That stroke suffered by LUTHER VANDROSS last week may have been worse than we thought. Doctors now say it was a "major bleed," and fear Luther may never sing again. A spokesperson at his label said Luther was resting comfortably, was conscious and on a breathing tube. Luther's weight has see-sawed between 190 and 330 pounds, and in recent years suffered from hypertension and diabetes. He turned 52 yesterday.

[jentopia]

Luther has one of the greatest voices of all time. It's a shame he may never be able to sing again.

My thoughts and prayers are with him.

[timster]

There is alot of 'baby-making' when Luther blows. I, for one, am a victim of it. His upcoming scheduled appearance on an American Idol episode is pretty dismal.

[Adam]

Bummer... I wish him a speedy recovery! One of the greats in R&B!

[suzanne]

My Goodness that is really Sad!! Not to be able to sing anymore!! I hope that is not the case:(

[timster]

USA Today reports LUTHER VANDROSS is still in critical but stable condition at a NYC hospital but has been unconscious since suffering a stroke. The paper quotes a neurology professor at the Mayo Clinic who says that unconsciousness is "an uncommon occurrence in patients with stroke" and that it's a bad sign.

[timster]

The AP reports soul star LUTHER VANDROSS is breathing on his own again, but his publicist says he's still in intensive care and has not regained consciousness since his stroke on Apr 16. Doctors remain hopeful Luther will regain consciousness.

But is he or not?

E! Online reports Luther's publicist says the AP may have gotten the idea that he's better from Luther's mother, who mistakenly believed her son was breathing without a respirator.

Fox gossip reporter ROGER FRIEDMAN also reports that singer LUTHER VANDROSS remains in critical condition, in a coma and not likely to regain consciousness after his near-fatal stroke. His label, J Records, will release Luther's (presumably) final album ("Dance With My Father") in early June, which Freidman calls "his best."

[K-Bee]

This is the latest update on Luthers condition courtesy of www.bluesandsoul.co.uk :

Luther's mother says a little prayer
Luther Vandross, who remains unconscious and in a critical condition following a stroke he suffered on April 16 at his Manhattan home, will have his new album "Dance With My Father" released on June 10. The decision to release Luther's new album was largely as a result of his mother's decision not to delay the release. In a statement, Mary Vandross, who regularly visits and prays for her 52 year old son, said the title track was a tribute to her late husband and she didn't want to delay its release. Of Luther's condition, Mrs. Vandross remained confident: "He has to recover, he's all I have left, he's my last surviving child. We play him all his favourite Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick music and his too. After the stroke he was in grave danger, it was touch and go, but I feel that it's now just a matter of time before he improves. It's a slow process but I believe there is nothing too hard for God."

[timster]

Thanks for the update, K. This is truly a sad story.

[timster]

"Since I live in Philadelphia I go to the hospital every two or three days
to have a prayer with my son. I hold his hand and pray with him. Right
after the stroke, he was in grave danger; it was very touch and go. But I
feel that it is just a matter of time before he improves and to me, his
appearance gets better daily. It's a very slow process. But I believe there
is nothing too hard for God.

I'm overwhelmed by the outpouring of phone calls from people who love
Luther. Jesse Jackson calls almost every day to pray with me. There is just
a small group of us that are allowed to visit Luther who is still in
Intensive Care. His nieces Chanece and Seveda who live in New York come
every day so when I'm not there, it's comforting to know they are.
We play music for Luther all day long and we talk to him too. We play all
his favorites - Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, and we play his music too.
His friend Fonzi puts the new song Dance With My Father on his pillow - we
play that one a lot since Luther told me that he thought that was the best
song he ever wrote. In fact, right after he wrote Dance With My Father he
called me and he said, 'Mama, I wrote a song for you and daddy, I'm going to
bring it and see what you think.'

When I heard it, I felt like I was going to, well, scream. I played it over
and over and I cried and cried. I was amazed how well Luther remembered his
father, how we used to dance and sing in the house. I was so surprised that
at 7 1⁄2 years of age, he could remember what a happy household we had. It was
always filled with a lot of music. Luther's father - who was also named
Luther - had a beautiful voice and he would sing and sing. That is where
Luther got his gift.

Knowing how he loves this new album, I believe Luther would want it to come
out now and I'm so grateful that he can get this chance. He is going to
recover and when he does, I want him to be greeted with a big success story.
He has to recover, he's all I have left, he's my last surviving child."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Check out his official website for the latest : www.luthervandross.com

There are some cuts off his upcoming album at this website. Sheer chill hearing his soulful voice. There is one song that'll be sure to get a copy of will be "The Closer I Get To You". The re-make of Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway. Luther sings it with Beyonce Knowles of Destiny's Child.....superb cut!

Email him with your personal message and blessings:

tolutherwithlove@luthervandros s.com

If the email addy doesn't work....try via his website.

Luther, I consider him the 80s love-jam man. This musical legend is in my prayers. I hope he pulls through!

[suzanne]

Thanks for post the Links Tim - What an awesome Mother he has, with family like that- how can you not make it through something like this!! :)

[timster]

In the days before he suffered a stroke, Luther Vandross couldn't stop overeating, according to his mother.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Mary Vandross also blamed her son's hectic schedule for his April 16 stroke.

"He just worked himself to where he is right now," said Mrs. Vandross, 80.

Vandross has been semiconscious since suffering the stroke in his Manhattan home. He had been putting the finishing touches on his new album, "Dance With My Father," which hits stores Tuesday.

Vandross' fluctuations in weight have become famous over the years.

"He had regained his weight back, and that of course really bothered me tremendously, because I knew how hard he was struggling not to gain the weight," said Mrs. Vandross. "And yet he would eat uncontrollably."

A few days before his stroke, Vandross, 52, visited his mother in her Philadelphia home. Although the visit was a good one, she worried about him because he was "eating everything in sight."

"I asked him, `Are you upset about something?' He said, `I don't know, but ... when you go to your mama's house, you're supposed to eat,'" she said.

One time, Mrs. Vandross said, "I got annoyed, and I asked him, `Why do you do this to yourself again?' And he said, `I don't drink, I've never drank, I've never smoked, I've never done drugs.'

"He said, `Mama, I just don't know what to do anymore.'"

She visits him in the hospital often. If she is not there, another relative or friend is by his bedside.

During the day, he is shown photos of family and friends, and someone reads him the get-well cards and e-mails that have been pouring in. He also hears music by his favorite singers Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross and Dionne Warwick. His background singers have even come in to perform for him, said Max Szadek, his personal assistant.

Those closest to him say his condition has improved. Earlier on, he contracted pneumonia and needed a tracheotomy to help him breathe.

But now, he has begun mouthing words, even trying to eat a bit of an orange. Mrs. Vandross recalled that recently, she arrived in his hospital room and his head was turned. When she called him, he turned his head toward her and smiled, and she burst into tears.

Szadek noted that Vandross has started to move his neck around.

He's even aware of the growing success of his new single, the title track of the album. Szadek said he showed Vandross a copy of the music industry trade publication Billboard that included the single, and Vandross followed along with his eyes.

"He's doing excellent now in comparison to what he was," said Mrs. Vandross.

[timster]

E! Online reports R&B legend LUTHER VANDROSS woke up from his coma about a week ago, some six weeks after suffering the original stroke that’ s kept him in the hospital. Friends and family say Luther can mouth words and nod his head but is still unable to speak because of the breathing tube in his throat.

[timster]

Soul/R&B legend Luther Vandross, hospitalized since suffering a stroke April 16, has been moved out of the Intensive Care unit at New York's Weill Cornell Medical College. Vandross' business manager and friend Carmen Romano says the artist's health is improving.

"I am happy to report that Luther Vandross continues to improve and that he is more and more responsive each day. Perhaps most significantly, he is no longer in the Intensive Care unit. I feel as though I am watching a modern day miracle," Romano says in a statement.

Vandross' latest studio album, "Dance with My Father," was released Tuesday (June 10) on J Records. It is the follow-up to 2001's "Luther Vandross," which debuted at No. 2 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and has sold 1.2 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.

[K-Bee]

You beat me to it Timster. i was about to post the same thing ;)

Apparantly, "Dance With My Father" is already doing great business and receiving rave reviews. I'm yet to hear it but I'm looking forward to some of the covers on it.

[timster]

Check out his website:

www.luthervandross.com

There are full-length tracks that you can sample while visiting the site.

[K-Bee]

I've tried that many times but the site won't accept my flash plug-in:(

[timster]

I hate when that kinda crap happens....

...his voice gives me "goose-bumps" listening to his new songs, knowing what kind of condition he's in.

[timster]

R&B veteran Luther Vandross' new album debuted at No. 1 on the weekly pop charts on Wednesday, while the singer remained hospitalized due to a stroke suffered two months ago.
The new album, "Dance With My Father," sold about 442,000 units in its first week of release ended June 15, according to industry retail monitor Nielsen SoundScan.

The 52-year-old singer, best known for his romantic ballads, suffered a serious stroke on April 16 and has since then been in the care of Weill Cornell Medical Center of New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
Last week, the Grammy Award winner was finally moved out of intensive care and his manager, Carmen Romano, reported that Vandross was growing more responsive each day.
"The album literally flew off the shelves thanks to fans that have shown incredible adulation for this beloved artist," his label, J Records, owned by Bertelsmann AG and headed by music impresario Clive Davis, said in a statement.
Ranking No. 2 behind the Vandross album was Metallica's "St. Anger," which slipped from the top slot the previous week, selling about 363,000 units in its second week of release.
English rock band Radiohead's "Hail to the Thief" debuted at No. 3, selling about 300,000 units.
J Records also scored big this week with the debut of Annie Lennox' "Bare," the artist's first solo album in eight years, ranking fourth on the sales charts, selling 153,000 units.
Last November, Bertelsmann, which had previously forced Davis out from the top of Arista Records, brought the music executive back on board by buying the half of J Records it did not own and putting him at the helm of a newly combined group called RCA Music Group, including J Records and RCA Records.
On Wednesday, RCA Music Group boasted not only the No. 1 and No. 4 top selling albums, but also the top three selling singles in America, all riding the wave of the American Idol phenomenon.
With record-breaking sales of 393,000 units, American Idol runner up Clay Aiken's song "This is the Night/ Bridge Over Troubled Water," released on RCA, debuted at No. 1, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
American Idol winner Ruben Studdard exploded at No. 2 with single sales of 286,000 for "Flying Without Wings/ Superstar," released on J Records. And the No. 3 single was held by American Idol finalists' "God Bless the USA," released on RCA Records, and which previously held the No. 1 spot for four weeks, according to the music group.

[timster]

Luther Vandross is too ill to film a video for his new song, so Beyonce Knowles and other friends and admirers filled in for what turned out to be an all-star tribute to the ailing star.

Vandross, 52, is still recovering from an April stroke that left him hospitalized for two months. His album, "Dance With My Father," was released last month, and it has sold almost 1 million copies.

In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Knowles excitedly talked about her appearance in the video and on Vandross' album, on which the two sing the duet "The Closer I Get to You."

Knowles, 21, said the duet showed she'd made it as a singer.

"I couldn't believe I was doing a song with him," she says. "That's crazy, because he's so classic and so talented, and that's just crazy to me! Those are those moments in your life, like everything is worth it, you know?"

More than a dozen celebrities turned out to appear in the video to the title track, including Knowles, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, basketball star Jason Kidd, Monica and Patti LaBelle.

Family photos of Vandross and his family are also featured.

[suzanne]

Man that is so awesome - I would love to see this Video!!!

[K-Bee]

Just another update on Luther - thankfully things are starting to look good !! :)

Reuters, 10/10/03 – 8:40 am:
New York - Since the removal in late June of a tracheotomy tube, inserted while he battled meningitis and pneumonia, Luther Vandross is once again talking — and singing, People magazine reports. On a recent visit with Vandross — who suffered a stroke on April 16 — Patti LaBelle says that when they sang a duet, he corrected her on a lyric. "His voice is the same as it ever was," LaBelle tells People in its Oct. 20 issue. Vandross, 52, is undergoing therapy at a New Jersey rehabilitation facility, the magazine says. His new album, "Luther Vandross: Live at Radio City Music Hall," is set for release Oct. 28.
end of report

[timster]

I remember reading about that recently. He has overcome soo much thus far! This is great news! Thanks for the update, K!

[K-Bee]

More news on the big guy!

"Sat Nov 1,12:23 PM ET NEW YORK
- Despite his debilitating stroke, Luther Vandross has been able to keep up his spirits throughout his ordeal, says the singer's personal assistant, Max Szadek .
His sense of humor is definitely intact," Szadek told The Associated Press in an interview this week. " Anyone would be depressed going though this, but he does bring a certain levity to the table with it. Vandross has been making progress, he can sing, walk with assistance — and will even correct your grammar. Yet, Szadek said, Vandross is a long way from being fully recovered. "Day to day, there's always going to be an inconsistency. That's the nature of the healing," he said. "So he is singing, but I don't want to mislead people that he's ready to perform next week. .I think it's important for people to know that he is making progress, but it's slow going and it's steady." Among the tasks Vandross is working on is trying to improve his short-term and long-term memory. "I think he's performing to the best of his abilities, but it was a very serious injury," said Szadek."

[timster]

That is great news!