Lupus is an autoimmune disease that affects the different parts of a body such as skin, joints, organs, and so on. Nowadays, the disease is affecting millions of people around the world including some of the well-known celebrities. These celebrities have to face the challenges of this disease, despite their being famous. So, in this article, we will talk about 42 celebrities who are struggling with lupus.
Selena Gomez
The multitalented celebrity started her career as a child star by appearing in Barney & Friends. In 2008, she began her career as a recording artist after she signed a contract with Hollywood Records and formed a band. Since then, she has released many singles and albums. In 2015, she was diagnosed with lupus, and in 2017, she revealed through an Instagram post that she had a kidney transplant, due to which she had to cancel her shows. Gomez has also been open about her flare-ups with lupus and has revealed that since the diagnosis, she has become anxious and depressed.
Toni Braxton
The award-winning singer and actress, who has sold over 70 million records throughout the world is one of the celebrities who have struggled with lupus. In November 2010, the Spell My Name singer announced that she had been diagnosed with lupus or systemic lupus erythematosus. She also revealed that this is a horrifying life-threatening autoimmune disease but she will take good care of herself. Further, she stated that her uncle died due to lupus. In 2012, she went to the hospital because of some minor issues related to lupus.
Nick Cannon
The American comedian and rapper began his professional career as a teenager. Since then he has worked on many big projects including Roll Bounce, Love Don’t Cost a Thing, and Drumline. However, in 2012, he was hospitalized because of a minor kidney failure after a pulmonary embolism. In the same year, he revealed that his kidney failure happened because of lupus. The famous celebrity has called himself a lupus warrior because it’s been over a decade now since he has been living with the disease.
Seal
The well-known singer who has received many awards for his outstanding work has revealed that he has lupus. Seal has stated that he first showed signs of lupus when he was just 23 years old. The Les Mots singer has also revealed that the prominent scarring on his face is because of a type of lupus known as discoid lupus erythematosus. This kind of lupus affects the skin and leaves large scars on the body.
Kristen Johnston
The American actress is popular for appearing in 3rd Rock from the Sun, The Exes, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and many more. She revealed that in November 2013 she was diagnosed with lupus myelitis, a type of condition that severely affects the spinal cord. She has also mentioned that she first showed signs of lupus while she was trying to climb some stairs at the age of 46. The Mom actress was actually diagnosed with the condition after 17 visits to the doctor and months of medical tests, which also caused her to halt her work.
Trick Daddy
Another celebrity who has struggled with the condition of lupus is the famous American rapper Trick Daddy. The Let’s Go rapper has revealed that he was diagnosed with discoid lupus erythematosus years ago, which affected his skin badly, but he stopped taking the prescribed medicines. He revealed that for every medicine, the doctors had to do a test in order to check whether the medicine was working and not causing side effects. Due to this, he decided not to take any medications. Trick Daddy follows his Ghetto Diet, which he feels is fantastic.
Shannon Boxx
The American soccer player who has now retired from the sport, was diagnosed with lupus in 2007 when she was just 30 years old. However, she announced the news shortly before the 2012 London Olympics, where she won a gold medal in her sport with the United States team. During the time Boxx was diagnosed, she started showing signs of muscle soreness, fatigue, and joint pain. In a 2012 interview, Boxx revealed that after doing her soccer training to the fullest, she would collapse on the couch due to the condition.
Maurissa Tanchareon
The American writer and actress was diagnosed with lupus at the very young age of 15. The multitalented celebrity has revealed that her symptoms began with joint pain, fatigue, and skin rashes, but these symptoms intensified as she grew up, resulting in the disease affecting her organs such as her kidneys and lungs, and also the central nervous system. The Dollhouse writer has been an advocate for lupus awareness and shares her personal experiences during media interviews. In 2015, she closely worked with a rheumatologist because she wanted to have a baby. After controlling her lupus for 2 years, she gave birth to her kid, Benny Sue.
Halsey
The American singer, who is also an actress, revealed recently that she was diagnosed with lupus SLE and a rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder in 2022. Also, she revealed that lupus SLE is a condition that occurs when the boy’s immune system attacks its healthy tissues. The singer announced the news in an Instagram post, but the picture has been deleted. She stated in the caption that both her conditions are currently being managed or are in remission, but they will stay with her for the rest of her life.
Paula Abdul
The American singer and dancer has dealt with rheumatoid arthritis and lupus for decades now, although her lupus has been in remission due to her diet and movements. The Forever Your Girl singer has revealed that she had a different level of joint pain years ago, due to which she went to see a rheumatologist. Since then, she has continued to speak out and educate the world about the life-threatening condition of lupus through her social media posts.
Tim Raines
The former Major League baseball player who now serves as a coach, was diagnosed with lupus longtime back. In January 1999, he signed up to be a free agent of Oakland Athletics and had a kidney biopsy done. However, after undergoing the biopsy, he was diagnosed with lupus and spent the entire year taking medications and treatments for his recovery. His doctor, Dr. Elliott Schwartz has described that Tim’s body became allergic to his own kidneys, starting an inflammation process in those kidneys.
J Dilla
The American rapper who was also known as Jay Dee, was one of the popular celebrities who died because of the complications of lupus. The hip-hop producer and beatmaker was diagnosed with lupus SLE and this condition affected his body organs severely. In 2006, at the age of 32, he passed away due to a combination of lupus and Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.
Kelle Bryan
The English singer and actress was known around the world for being a member of the girl group, Eternal. In 1998, the Higher Than Heaven singer was diagnosed with lupus and began showing symptoms such as joint pain and fatigue. However, Bryan’s symptoms intensified in 2014, when she lost a lot of hair, deteriorated movements, and loss of sight and hearing. Also, her condition made her unable to speak. After some time, she also had a seizure, which the doctors confirmed was due to lupus. As of now, the actress is re-learning how to write and read and struggles with loss of memory.
Lucy Vodden
The popular figure, who laid down the inspiration for the Beatles song, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, was diagnosed with lupus. However, after a long battle with the condition she died at the age of 46. Lucy Vodden passed away at St. Thomas’s Hospital in London, where she had been receiving the treatment for more than five years. The connection of Lucy with the Beatles was formed because she was a school friend of Julian Lennon, son of John Lennon.
Michael Jackson
The American dancer and singer/songwriter died in June 2009. However, before his death, the famous celebrity always stayed in the spotlight because of his changing appearance and skin color. It was revealed that Jackson has a medium-brown skin tone, but in the mid-1980s, his skin color appeared to grow pale. His dermatologist, Arnold Klein, stated that he was diagnosed with discoid lupus erythematosus in 1983 and vitiligo in 1986. The disclosures were confirmed by the dermatologist when he presented documents during court depositions.
Teddi King
Another Hollywood celebrity who struggled with the complications of lupus was Teddi King. The American jazz and pop vocalist was diagnosed with lupus SLE and due to the condition, she had to take a break from her career. After controlling lupus for some time, she made a brief comeback in 1977 by getting featured in Dave McKenna’s album. However, later in 1977, her condition got worse and she died on 18th November 1977 due to the complications of lupus SLE.
Sally Hawkins
Sally Hawkins is an English actress who has also battled the complications of lupus throughout her life. She began her professional life as a stage actress, but after some time she transitioned to become a famous film actress. The award-winning actress revealed in 2018 that she was diagnosed with lupus and the life-threatening condition has made it difficult for her to travel. Also, she has mentioned that though she is battling an autoimmune condition, she feels very lucky as the symptoms only appear in waves, and she is usually fine.
Tonya Ingram
The American poet and author who was also a disability and mental health advocate died in December 2022. The famous celebrity passed away due to complications of kidney failure and lupus. In 2019, at the age of 27, the writer started looking for a living person to be her kidney donor. In order to look for a donor, she uploaded posts on her social media accounts and even asked the government to hold programs. However, she couldn’t find one and became too sick to receive a transplant in 2022. While Tonya Ingram was alive, she wrote books and memoirs about kidney failure, lupus, and black feminism.
Charles Kuralt
The American author and former anchor of CBS Sunday Morning died in July 1997. In his later life, the journalist started having health problems because of his unhealthy lifestyle such as eating junk food, drinking, and smoking heavily. Also, he became sicker when he was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus, a condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the healthy tissues of the body. However, the autoimmune condition and heart failure took his life at the age of 62. At the time of his death, he was getting treatment in New York–Presbyterian Hospital.
Lauren Shuler Donner
The American film producer who owned The Donner’s Company is one of the Hollywood celebrities who have struggled with the complications of lupus. Though she has stayed quiet about her health problems, but in 2008, she came in front and revealed that she did a lot of work while battling lupus and breast cancer. Donner revealed that she has cured breast cancer, but is still living with lupus. Due to her lupus diagnosis, she has become a vocal proponent for the awareness of the condition. Also, she is a long-time board member of LupusLA.
Mary Elizabeth McDonough
The American actress, Mary Elizabeth McDonough is known around the world for appearing in The Waltons as Erin Walton. However, the famous actress has revealed that she was diagnosed with lupus erythematosus, which according to her, stemmed from leaking silicone from her breast implants. The Waiting To Act actress has said previously that the pressures of Hollywood led her to take drastic actions in her life one of which is breast implants. However, after undergoing it her health deteriorated, and she was ultimately diagnosed with the autoimmune condition. After getting them removed, McDonough’s health has improved.
Michael Wayne
The eldest son of John Wayne and Josephine Saenz was known in the Hollywood industry because he was a popular film producer and actor. He started his professional life as a production assistant in 1951. However, his professional life was cut short when he was diagnosed with lupus erythematosus. In this condition, his immune system became hyperactive and affected the healthy tissues of his body. Just two months before his mother’s death, Michael Wayne died due to the complications of lupus at the age of 68.
Ray Walston
The American actor and comedian started his career on Broadway by appearing in Damn Yankees. However, when he was diagnosed with the life-threatening condition of lupus, his professional acting and comedy career was put on a halt. In 1994, the My Favorite Martian actor was diagnosed with lupus, and as a result of this, he started to appear in very few shows and movies. However, after battling the autoimmune condition for so many years, he died in 2001 at the age of 86.
Mercedes Scelba Shorte
The fashion model from America who is also an actress, is one of the celebrities who have struggled with the complications of lupus. Shorte is known around the world for appearing as a contestant in America’s Next Top Model. However, while being a contestant on the show, Shorte revealed that she has been diagnosed with lupus. After her stint was over on the show, she became a spokesperson for the Lupus Foundation of America and has tried to raise awareness about the condition.
Sophie Howard
Sophie Howard is another famous personality from the Hollywood industry who has faced the challenges of lupus. The former glamour model who appeared consistently on Page 3, has revealed that while she was studying in Sixth form, she was diagnosed with Lupus erythematosus. Initially, her symptoms appeared as a wave, but slowly they intensified and impacted her professional life. In 2013, Sophie Howard retired from acting due to her autoimmune condition.
Ferdinand Marcos
The Filipino politician who served as the 10th president of the Philippines was diagnosed with lupus during his third term. Due to the complications of this autoimmune condition, Marcos had to undergo a kidney transplant in 1983, but when his body rejected the transplant, he underwent a second one. The second kidney transplant happened in 1984. After the symptoms of lupus began to intensify, the health of Marcos deteriorated at a fast pace. Due to his ailing health, his wife Imelda became a public figure in the government. However, in 1989, he died due to complications of lupus which affected his kidneys, lungs, and heart.
Hugh Gaitskell
The British politician who was the Leader of the Opposition until his death, was diagnosed with lupus when his professional career was at its peak. However, in 1962, his health deteriorated due to the condition because his immune system became hyperactive and started affecting the healthy tissues of his body. During this time, he was admitted to the hospital several times because he contracted multiple viruses. But on 18th January 1983, he died because of the autoimmune condition. It was revealed that the complications of lupus affected his kidneys and heart.
Donald Byrne
Another famous figure who died because of the complications of lupus is Donald Byrne. Thechess player and former university professor was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition when he was making his chess career. However, his professional life was cut shortwhen the symptoms of lupus affected his body badly. In April 1976, Byrne died due to complications of lupus at the age of 45.
Flannery O’Connor
The American short story writer who was also a famous novelist, was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus in the summer of 1952. It has been revealed that the disease was transferred to her because her father had it before. When Connor was diagnosed with the condition, her daily routine was to write in the morning, attend Mass, and then spend the rest of the day reading. Despite the symptoms taking a toll on her health, she attended 60 lectures to read her work. However, in August 1964, she died due to complications of lupus. At the time of her death, she was 39 years old.
Louisa May Alcott
The American novelist who wrote some renowned novels suffered chronic health problems in her later life. The Little Women author was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus when she started having headaches, pain in her limbs, fatigue, and vertigo. During this time, Alcott was also diagnosed with neuralgia and contracted typhoid fever. Her doctors, Dr. Ian Greaves and Dr. Norbert Hirschhorn stated that she has lupus because mercury has affected her immunity badly. However, in March 1888, she died at the age of 55 because of her ill health.
Juli Furtado
The American professional mountain biker who has retired started her career in skiing. But her knee injury did not let her pursue skiing so she transitioned to cycling and mountain biking. However, the diagnosis of lupus forced her to retire from her professional life early. During this time, the famous celebrity started to experience fatigue, joint pains, and butterfly rashes. But as of now, the autoimmune condition is under control and the biker tries to go to events solely.
Kris Aquino
The Filipino actress who also serves as a television presenter, is known around the world for starring in Crazy Rich Asians. However, her professional life was cut short in 2022 when her health deteriorated. Aquino disclosed that she had been suffering from lupus and had also been diagnosed with chronic spontaneous urticaria. When her lupus diagnosis became known to the public, rumors started to circulate that she was in an ICU and dying. However, the rumors were refuted by the actress.
Oleta Adams
The award-winning singer and songwriter, Oleta Adams became known to the world in the 1980s when she joined the band, Tears for Fears. However, the Circle of One singer has revealed in the past that she was diagnosed with lupus. Also, Oleta has mentioned that she lived with the autoimmune condition for a total of ten years and this affected her professional life severely. Initially, the symptoms of the condition were steady, but after some time they got intensified.
Inday Ba
The famous Swedish and British actress is famous for appearing in 2002’s Klassfesten as Hillevi. However, the professional career of the Trial & Retribution actress was cut short when she was diagnosed with lupus. Due to the complications of the condition and kidney failure, Inday Ba died at the age of 32. The famous actress passed away in April 2005, shortly after filming her last serial Jericho.
Consequence
Another popular celebrity who has come forward with his diagnosis of lupus is the American rapper Consequence. He is known around the world for his work with Kanye West. However, in 2022, after revealing that he was bullied online, he revealed that he has been suffering from lupus. Initially, when he felt sick, he thought that he might have COVID-19, but when he went to a doctor, he was told that he had lupus. The Caught Up in the Hype rapper revealed that the first symptom he got was pain in his neck.
Cori Broadus
The famous celebrity, Cori Broadus is the only daughter of rapper Snoop Dogg. She is the youngest of all children that Snoop Dogg and his wife Shante have together. It has been revealed that Cori Broadus was diagnosed with lupus when she was just 6 years old after her parents noticed a small spot on her face. Also, her parents noticed that she was losing a drastic amount of weight and her hair fell out severely. In 2023, Cori revealed that she stopped taking all the medicines and is focusing on a holistic approach to combat the disease such as taking herbs, sea mosses, and teas and exercising regularly.
Miles Browning
Miles Browning was a famous officer in the United States Navy, who changed his positions during World War 1 and World War 2. However, when the health of the Navy officer started to deteriorate due to systemic lupus erythematosus, he resigned from his post in 1952. Ultimately, in September 1954, the American officer died due to complications of lupus at a hospital in Boston.
Echo Brown
The famous American writer, Echo Brown was known around the world for her novel, Black Girl Unlimited: The Remarkable Story of a Teenage Wizard. However, the professional career of the writer was put to a halt when she was diagnosed with lupus at an early age. It has been revealed that Brown started experiencing fatigue and joint pain when her symptoms intensified. However, in September 2023, Brown died due to renal failure, which was the result of lupus. At the time of her death, she was just 39 years old.
Rafael Chaparro Madiedo
The Colombian writer, who won the National Literature Prize of Colombia, was diagnosed with lupus in the initial days of his writing career. However, in April 1995, the writer of Opium in Clouds passed away due to the complications of lupus. At the time of his death, he was just 31 years old.
Sonia Viveros
The Chilean television actress, Sonia Viveros is known around the world for appearing in La Torre 10, and La Madrastra. However, the acting career of the famous celebrity was cut short when she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called lupus in 1985. The degenerative condition of the immune system damaged her cerebral vessels. Ultimately, in 2003, she died due to the complications of lupus.
Georgeanna Tillman
Georgeanna Tillman was an American singer who was diagnosed with lupus when her professional singing career was at its peak. However, the symptoms of the disease such as butterfly rash, pain in the limbs, and fatigue impacted her career badly. When the health of the singer deteriorated due to the complication of lupus, Tillman died in January 1980 in Michigan.
George Albert Smith
The American religious leader who became the 8th president of the LDS Church passed away in 1951. However, after 1903, George Albert Smith started to show symptoms of physical weakness and often found that his travel activities were making him weak. In the same year, he was diagnosed with lupus erythematosus. Ultimately, when his condition deteriorated, he died in 1951 due to the autoimmune disease.
