This from Roger Friedman, who while a gossip is known to be pretty reliable...

http://www.showbiz411.com...lle-apollo

Prince: So Hip He Needs Two New Ones

Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Music / By Roger Friedman

prince 263x300 Prince: So Hip He Needs Two New OnesPrince was on the prowl again last night, making an unscheduled appearance at the Apollo Theater’s 75th anniversary celebration to toast Patti Labelle.

But the real buzz on Prince is that his much reported hip problems of the past have now turned into need for a double hip replacement.

Unfortunately, thanks to his practice as a Jehovah’s Witness, Prince still refuses surgery. JW’s don’t believe in blood transfusions.

“He’s in a lot of pain,” said a source who was backstage with him last night at the Apollo. “He’s popping pain killers and hoping it will all go away.”

But it won’t. Back in 2005 reports surfaced that Prince needed one hip replaced. He declined. Then again in 2007 and 2008 came more reports that he’d finally agreed to “secret surgery.”

Now the diminutive R&B star is walking with a diamond studded stick to keep him upright. It’s the same stick I saw him with two nights ago at a post-Tony Awards bash. I’m sure he’d rather have a Raspberry beret or a little red Corvette, but for now Prince is stuck with the stick.

The question is: if it gets worse, will he go to a wheelchair?

I hope this is just a rumor

And if it isn't, Please Prince wake up an tell the watchtower _____
and go take care of yourself
The idea of someone sufering like this just bothers me, I'm not putting Prince or anyone else down about stuff like this

You don't have to be a JW to 'fear' hospitals, something they say men still do, way more than women. My brothers and I have to be watchdogs with my dad because he thinks he can get over anything or work thru the pain

I had an 2nd cousin(my dads cousin) who was JW and she had some kind of illness that could have been take care of but the surgery wasn't allowed by the JW and she was going out of her mind with pills and medication, she blew up to like 300lbs she was always a little dainty woman

NuPwrSoul said:

[Edited 6/9/09 10:28am]

I hope it's just a rumor too... but Roger Friedman is known to source his stuff pretty well.

In any case, I know people who don't want blood transfusions for other reasons who have still been able to get surgery done. What they'll do is schedule to donate their own blood in advance of the surgery into a personal bank.

Is the JW prohibition just against using someone ele's blood, or is it against the drawing of any blood at all?

If this is true, Prince is a bigger moron than I thought - which in recent years is pretty damn big.

There's ways around the blood transfusion thing, thereby allowing JW cult members to have surgery and NOT have a blood transfusion during surgery. Usually they donate their own blood ahead of time. And there are other ways around it. It's amazing to me that the same Bible Prince proclaims to read and study w/ friends says "Life is in the blood", so why NOT get blood to live? Aren't we all from the same source anyway, ultimately?

As far as his pain, it ain't a band member. It won't just go away where he can forget about it. It won't go away. Ever. Neither will his pill habit.

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the Bible prohibits ingesting blood, and that this includes the storage and transfusion of blood, including in cases of medical emergency. This belief was introduced in 1945, and has been elaborated upon since then. Accordingly, the organization has established 'Hospital Information Services' responsible for education and facilitation of bloodless surgery. This service also maintains 'Hospital Liaison Committees', whose function is to provide support to adherents.

Although accepted by the majority of Jehovah’s Witnesses, evidence indicates a minority does not wholly endorse this doctrine. Facets of the belief have drawn praise and criticism from members of the medical community.

Blood is sacred to God.[1]
Blood means life in God's eyes.[2]
Blood must not be eaten or transfused.[3]
Blood leaving the body of a human or animal must be disposed of,[4] except for autologous blood transfusions considered part of a “current therapy”.[5][6]
Blood was reserved for only one special use, the atonement for sins, which led up to Jesus' shed blood.[4][7]
When a Christian abstains from blood, they are in effect expressing faith that only the shed blood of Jesus Christ can truly redeem them and save their life.[8]
Even in the case of an emergency, it is not permissible to sustain life with transfused blood.[9]
Conscientious violation of this doctrine is considered a serious offense, after which a member is subject to organized shunning, known amongst Jehovah's Witnesses as being disfellowshipped

http://en.wikipedia.org/w...ansfusions

** If true, this could be why we haven't seen much promotion of Lotus Flower
2007 and even 2008 he was everywhere doing shows and appearances

NuPwrSoul said:

It's about using "Dead blood" aka someone else's. The drawing of blood isn't an issue to my knowledge.

Here are the verses they stand by. I found the King James version. The JW translation (New World Translation) might be worded differently of course.

Genesis 9:4 when God was telling Noah and his sons to be fruitful and multiply the earth (post-flood), "But flesh with the life thereof, [which is] the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. "

Leviticus 17:10: "And whatsoever man [there be] of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people."

HOWEVER, the very next verse says, "For the life of the flesh [is] in the blood".

Acts 15:29: "That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well."

The verses are clear, when read in CONTEXT, opposed to one little segment. But for whatever reason, this blood thing was instituted in the 40's I believe, and they live by it now. It's ridiculous. There IS "bloodless surgery", but I think it's more about Prince worrying if he'll forever have a limp, can't perform, or will look like an invalid midget. Frankly, and this is bold I know, I think he's NOT having surgery just to save face.

ernestsewell said:

Exactly!!!

I've been saying for the longest that something is definitely wrong, now it makes sense! If he's popping pills and depending on exactly what he's popping, I'm afraid he's in for a lot more pain than what's going on with his hips!

I just can't believe it! Before...Prince wouldn't touch drugs. He becomes a JW and now he's allegedly popping pills because he can't have obviously much needed surgery! Ain't that a bitch?

So receiving a blood transfusion (even of one's own blood) is considered the same as "eating" it? Blood entered through the veins is not blood entered through the digestive tract. *sigh*

Whatever the beliefs are, I hope the man is taking care of himself.

Morris Day had 2 deal with this issue a few months ago.
I wonder what the source of the problem is?

I feel terrible for Prince if this is true. Being in constant pain is hell.

It's too bad that a religion disallows a medical treatment that could improve a person's quality of life and, in some cases, let that person continue to live..don't they want as many healthy, able people around to, you know, 'do the work' and witness to others? I think God wants us to do what we can to take care of our bodies and to enjoy the happiest, healthiest, most productive life possible, but that's jmo.

In any case, I wish Prince good health and hope he can get the help he needs to feel better.

Graycap23 said:

Morris problem was not too serious, if I remember correctly it wasn't a replacement surgery

OldFriends4Sale said:

Yes, it was a replacement. His son posted about it here:

http://prince.org/msg/8/298230

NuPwrSoul said:

They call it "ingesting" blood, which can be in a transfusion or by eating. It's absorbed into the blood stream, in some fashion. And to them, that is wrong.

I'm not totally sure all JW's are vegans either, by that argument of not eating blood. Leviticus is a tricky book because God laid down so many laws, NOT because he wanted to limit people, but because the people acted stupid and complained about not even knowing how to wipe their butts. So God said "Fine....here are your rules, since you can't think for yourself, as I created you to do, but refuse to."

But Jesus fulfilled the law. He followed every law there was to the letter, thereby freeing the rest of us from it. No, we can't go murder someone without consequence, but that old law is OLD for a reason. JW's refuse to understand that, or even the deity of Jesus as the Son of God. Therein, lies the problem with it all. And that, my friends, is another show.

*if true* and he's poppin pain killers as much as they say he is,
then won't poppin so many pain killers be against JW health choices too?

good lord, he's been carrying a cane since 1992.

Graycap23 said:

mochalox said:

Morris day never did that and he had hip problems also.

Graycap23 said:

did Morris wear heels?

mochalox said:

I don't think so. Stacy Adams.....

Hip problems are pretty normal. Eddie Van Halen had replacement, too, right?

I'm surprised we're not hearing about bunions, though, dancing in those heels for all those years.

NDRU said:

He wasn't depending on it either.

Graycap23 said:

That sounds about right...

StephaniePlum said:

Thanks Stephanie, I must have been thinking about the 2nd precedure

Oi! popping pain pills! not good Prince...NOT GOOD. get the freakin' surgery already! if it's true that is.

OldFriends4Sale said:

You're welcome. Speaking of Morris and his surgery, I wonder how he's doing now? It's been a few months. Hope he's feeling a lot better.

Well-the hip thing did even crop up in the recent 'security' leak-either way i give up moaning about the site and lack of push-if the fellas ill-he has enough to deal with. Shitty timing though-could've happened when he had tony m in the band-we could've avoided that dodgy 3male dancers-on skates period and he'd be well enough to tour lotus lol

JustErin said:

Religion can bring out the moron in people faster than anything.

Rumors.
[Edited 6/9/09 17:27pm]