I hope she doesn't die. She's battling Alzheimers in addition to this infection.


http://latimesblogs.latim...ction.html
R&B singer Etta James is hospitalized in Southern California with a very serious infection, her son told KTLA.


Donto James says his 72-year-old mother has been at Riverside Community Hospital for about a week and is recovering from sepsis caused by a urinary tract infection. It's believed she has had the infection for quite some time, he said.

He says she has been "battling for her life and sanity" and it's possible something more serious is going on.

Sending prayers

Son Donto James says:

sending best wishes to her.

Please God, let us have this legend for a little bit longer Love and light to Etta James

I watched the movie A Single Man awhile back, and the Juliane Moore character at one point played this on her stereo:




I hope she has a full recovery
[Edited 1/29/10 13:06pm]

I love you, Ms.James

Etta James Battling Alzheimer's, Infection, Says Son
By Alan Duke, CNN
January 29, 2010 2:34 p.m. EST



Janaury 29, 2010

Singer Etta James is hospitalized for treatment of a serious infection, but her son said Friday he's more concerned with her Alzheimer's diagnosis.

James, 72, is "fighting off three separate kinds of serious bacteria," said her son, Donto James.

Life has been difficult for James, best known for her 1961 hit "At Last," since she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease a year ago, he said.

"Right now she is very confused," her son said.

He described his mother as "quite combative ... fighting, biting -- I'm talking way off the chart."

"I am going to end up losing my mother if it keeps going on like this," he said.

Donto James said he's hoping for more information about his mother's condition.

"There has to be another doctor out there who can tell me what is going on with my mother," he said.

Etta James' illness, he said, led her to the controversial comments at a concert a year ago where she suggested pop star Beyonce should be "whipped" for singing "At Last" for President Obama's inaugural ball.

"I can't stand Beyonce," she told a Seattle, Washington, audience. "She has no business up there, singing up there on a big old president day, gonna be singing my song that I've been singing forever."

She was upset about the inaugural, her son said, because "mother was supposed to be hired, but she wasn't well."

He said she was also suffering from "drug-induced dementia," a result of painkiller medications for a back injury. She has stopped taking the drugs, he said.

Her son, who plays in Etta James' band, said he's been frustrated because they've had to cancel several important shows -- including one last summer at the Hollywood Bowl.

Donto James said he was talking freely to CNN about his mother's medical problems because he's hoping someone can help him understand what is going on.

"It's 2010 and we should know something, should be able to diagnose," he said.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/S...index.html

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear this. I really like her. I read her autobiography a few years back, and it was a great read. She was supposed to do some shows in Baltimore. I bought advanced tickets, but the show was canceled after only a few performances. I don't know whether it was from illness or poor sales. May she get the help she so deserves. She should be able to get help at Cedars Sinai, as they supposedly have a good reputation.

Shyra said:

Isn't it?

"Rage to survive" wasn't just a title, the woman stared at the devil in the face many times eversince she was born,,,,she's a strong woman for still living, esp when you know what she been through.
[Edited 1/29/10 13:50pm]

So they said she was under pain medication when she made that Beyonce rant. Wow. Why didn't her family help her in this regard before this happened? Anyway, I hope she's well enough to perform. Truth is she has been ailing for a while. She had at least two minor strokes and the first minor stroke forced her back to that chair that she sat on when she was battling weight problems in the 1990s. But regardless her story is a triumph though. She overcame adversity so many times it ain't funny.

FUUUUCK, I hadn't heard this

Damn, I know I saw that flash across the bottom of my t.v. yesterday! It went by too fast I could barely process it.

Such unfortunate news...I'm hoping for a good outcome or for her remaining time to at least be comfortable for her.

The sad thing is that she's only 72. Too young to be battling these illnesses. I guess disease knows no age.

Dang that is sad to hear. I saw her two or three years ago when she toured with B.B. King and Al Green. She's definitely a fighter and I pray that she will get the care that she needs and that she will be around for a longer while.

this is so sad

this woman has lived one hell of a life & given us so much musically

Alzheimer's is a muthafuckin bitch ~

awww I hate to hear this

my favourite by Etta is ..




another classic...

awwwww, I hope she makes a recovery. Prayers and positivity

One of the early rock & roll classics.
[Edited 1/31/10 15:28pm]

Blues legend Etta James in hospital

Blues legend Etta James is being treated in hospital in California after suffering from various ailments, including a blood infection.

"She's been in a pretty big battle," her son Donto James told Reuters. The singer has been in hospital for a week.

Mr James said his mother, 72, became ill while in a detoxification clinic for treatment to an addiction to painkillers and other medicines.

The R&B star is probably best known for 1961 ballad, At Last.

Beyonce sang the track at President Barack Obama's inaugural ball last year.

Hall of fame

James is being treated for a number of problems including the blood infection sepsis, believed to have started with a urinary tract infection, her son said.

Mr James said his mother was also suffering from speech difficulties, the cause of which is still being investigated.

He said doctors at the Riverside hospital were hoping to discharge his mother "very soon" and she would be moved to a nursing home for follow-up care.

Discovered by legendary band leader Johnny Otis, James's career has spanned five decades.

The singer developed a heroin addiction in the 1960s that was to last for more than a decade, and saw her spend time in a psychiatric hospital.

After kicking her drug habit, she remained a popular concert performer - although further chart success largely eluded her.

She was inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, and won the first of three Grammy awards for 1994's Mystery Lady: The Songs of Billie Holiday.

A year later, she scored a top 10 hit in the UK when her version of I Just Wanna Make Love To You was featured in an advertisement for Coca-Cola.

In 2007, the singer spent several weeks in hospital after suffering complications during abdominal surgery in Los Angeles.

Turns out its worse than was initially reported...

Etta James is Suffering from Alzheimer's Disease

Singing legend Etta James has been secretly battling Alzheimer's Disease for more than a year, her son has revealed.

The 72-year-old R&B star was admitted to the Riverside Community Hospital in southern California a week ago, with a suspected urinary tract infection.

At the time, Donto James revealed his mother had been treated earlier this year for a dependency on painkillers and over-the-counter medication.

He now tells CNN the singer was diagnosed with Alzheimer's over a year ago and has battled it in secret ever since.

Donto, who plays in his mother's band, reveals the ailing At Last singer is suffering from speech difficulties, and has contracted the potentially-deadly MRSA virus since first undergoing treatment.

The worried musician says, "I am going to end up losing my mother if it keeps going on like this. There has to be another doctor out there who can tell me what is going on with my mother."

But he remains confident she can bounce back: "I want my mother back onstage again. I know it can happen."

Over a year?! Wow...

God bless Etta and her family at this time.

Poor Etta, Alzheimers' is a bitch of a disease. I hope she holds on and stays with us a little longer. She's too young to have gone through all of this. Shouldn't be happening until your mid 80s.