posted on another forum

Like Whitney Houston, she disregarded her instrument (her voice), in favor of drug abuse.
In her heyday, she was the ultimate party girl who got paid in drugs (cocaine and heroin) instead of cash.
She partied with David Ruffin, Rick James and Ike Turner.
She participated in orgies and same-sex liaisons.
Despite the anonymous sex, she still had feelings for a former NBA superstar (the best sex of her life) but he wasn't interested in rekindling the romance.
She was known for sending her personal assistant on drug runs until she quit.
She was also involved with a Bay Area kingpin (Oakland Hills). Although she could afford drugs, she enjoyed being a "strawberry," defined as: Trading sex for drugs. This good time girl enjoyed being illicit.
When she hit rock bottom, she was spotted at an crack house in South Central.
She had snorted so much cocaine that she developed nasal damage (a burning sensation). She turned to heroin (injection).
One evening, in the midst of a cocaine fueled party, she was chasing the dragon and got sloppy, she did the unthinkable and shared a needle.
According to rumors, she allegedly has "the monster."
That's why her appearance is so shocking.
Who is she?

This could be Chaka but its Natalie Cole. The NBA superstar (Dr J) is a dead giveaway. The bay area kingpin is most likely Flexic Mitchell. She has gotten real skinny. I like Natalie and hope that she doesn't leave us any time soon.

this is so sad if true

When are these nasty AIDS rumors gonna die?!! I got so sick of that shit in the 1980s--when people were LITERALLY dying from the disease...and everyone was paranoid they were gonna catch it. There are many reasons she could look like this, excluding AIDS. This ain't the 80s, folks. Anyone remember Ryan White? Natalie might be sick..but it ain't necessarily AIDS. Leave the woman alone...

Was this "forum" media takeout?

scriptgirl said:

Was this "forum" media takeout?

no it was an bling item on lipstick alley

Natalie has hepatits C, I believe. Which could be the reason she looks like this now.

Has she ever revealed how she got it?

scriptgirl said:

Has she ever revealed how she got it?

She believes usage of heroin and cocaine caused it.

Timmy84 said:

scriptgirl said:

Has she ever revealed how she got it?

She believes usage of heroin and cocaine caused it.

Yup. Enough said.

what the fuck

First Stevie.. now Natalie

I usually am ok or just ignore bullshit with musicians i like.. i know they are not perfect.

But Findng out Stevie was a womanizer & Natalie is a crackhead

Just damn! the demons of life really come crawling to even the most innocent looking peeps.

Gunsnhalen said:

what the fuck

First Stevie.. now Natalie

I usually am ok or just ignore bullshit with musicians i like.. i know they are not perfect.

But Findng out Stevie was a womanizer & Natalie is a crackhead

Just damn! the demons of life really come crawling to even the most innocent looking peeps.

Stevie being a womanizer was never really a big secret.

purplethunder3121 said:

Gunsnhalen said:

what the fuck

First Stevie.. now Natalie

I usually am ok or just ignore bullshit with musicians i like.. i know they are not perfect.

But Findng out Stevie was a womanizer & Natalie is a crackhead

Just damn! the demons of life really come crawling to even the most innocent looking peeps.

Stevie being a womanizer was never really a big secret.

Was to my ass

At least he didn't do hard drugs though.

Gunsnhalen said:

purplethunder3121 said:

Stevie being a womanizer was never really a big secret.

Was to my ass

At least he didn't do hard drugs though.

Not to my knowledge... Not great for blind guys in the music biz...although Ray Charles somehow managed to survive that crap...

Gunsnhalen said:

what the fuck

First Stevie.. now Natalie

I usually am ok or just ignore bullshit with musicians i like.. i know they are not perfect.

But Findng out Stevie was a womanizer & Natalie is a crackhead

Just damn! the demons of life really come crawling to even the most innocent looking peeps.

I thought Natalie's crackhead past was common knowledge?

I don't think that story is about Natalie.

SoulAlive said:

I don't think that story is about Natalie.

?

So we posting blind items now?

Timmy84 said:

Gunsnhalen said:

what the fuck

First Stevie.. now Natalie

I usually am ok or just ignore bullshit with musicians i like.. i know they are not perfect.

But Findng out Stevie was a womanizer & Natalie is a crackhead

Just damn! the demons of life really come crawling to even the most innocent looking peeps.

I thought Natalie's crackhead past was common knowledge?

I Never knew much about her past honestly.....

Her past is a humdinger, that's for sure.

She wrote with candor about past drinking, drug abuse and sexual promiscuity in her autobiography , Angel on My Shoulder, which was published 12 years ago.

In her second memoir, she said heroin use led to her contracting hepatitis C, an illness she has talked about since 2008.

...

[Edited 8/27/12 10:27am]

I tell you, Chaka is one very lucky chick! Being she and Natalie were road-dogs and walked similar paths around the same time, this could have easily been her. Thank God someone/something saw fit to spare her. Just the thought of something happening to her...I just wouldn't deal with it well at all. But, by no means am I saying better Natalie than her.

Chaka did her share of drugs.. she just never let them take her down and she got off of them in a more timely fashion.

lezama said:

Chaka did her share of drugs.. she just never let them take her down and she got off of them in a more timely fashion.

Actually, Natalie kicked her drug habit years before Chaka did. I believe I recently read where Chaka claims to be sober for about 6 or 7 years now. While I believe Natalie sobbered up in the 80's? I guess Natalie just made more mistakes in judgement during her addiction.

kitbradley said:

lezama said:

Chaka did her share of drugs.. she just never let them take her down and she got off of them in a more timely fashion.

Actually, Natalie kicked her drug habit years before Chaka did. I believe I recently read where Chaka claims to be sober for about 6 or 7 years now. While I believe Natalie sobbered up in the 80's? I guess Natalie just made more mistakes in judgement during her addiction.

Oh I didn't know its been only 6-7 years, damn..

HAPPYPERSON said:

Why would anyone think this was Chaka? She didn't get on with Dr. J., Natalie did. Both her and Natalie hung around David, Slick Rick and Ike because they were "partners in drugs". Chaka was what you call a "functional junkie" until 2004 or 2005.

And a blind item like this could easily come from the Panache Report (which is notorious about blind items). LSA probably posted the story from there.

Timmy84 said:

[Straightened out -OF4S]

A People Magazine article from 2008.

Natalie Cole: 'My Life Crumbled Before My Eyes' By Marisa Laudadio

After Enduring Months of Agonizing Treatment, the Grammy Winner Talks About Her Battle with Hepatitis C and How Her New Album Got Her Through One of the Toughest Times of Her Life After battling a drug addiction in the '80s, Natalie Cole, the daughter of legend Nat King Cole, led a sober and healthy life, becoming a "workout fanatic" when not racking up Grammys between world tours.

But a series of blood tests in April revealed a shocker: She had hepatitis C, which had been dormant for decades. "Nothing could have prepared me for this—nothing," says Cole, 58, who was told she contracted the degenerative liver disease from sharing dirty needles. "I had to make peace with my past, because I can't change it," says the singer, who released a new album of pop standards, Still Unforgettable, Sept. 9. Cole shared her story with PEOPLE's Marisa Laudadio.

In her 2000 memoir, Angel on My Shoulder, Cole wrote that drugs "were a culmination of not having resolved things"—including her father's death when she was 15. She was also molested as a child. She hit bottom in the early '80s. I was a heroin addict, sharing needles with the crowd I was with. At the time I was having fun. I didn't know. Then, 25 years later after a routine blood test, my doctor tells me, "You have hepatitis C." My life crumbled before my eyes. I never had symptoms. I didn't know anything about it. Would I still have a career? Was I going to die? How long did I have? I was devastated. I had to let it sink in for six weeks while they ran more tests.

It's important to wallow and grieve when you have a health issue. I don't think you really get the best stuff out of life until you've had the worst stuff. But I was upset with the Lord: I was like, "How could you?" But I got over it. I said, "Well, I know you haven't brought me this far to leave me." Cole's doctor started her on a standard 48-week course of treatment, with chemotherapy-like injections and an antiviral drug, Ribavirin.

Nothing my doctor could have done could prepare me for this. It's debilitating. I give myself a weekly injection of chemotherapy in my thigh. When I started in May, I thought I was dying. I couldn't get out of bed for three weeks—literally. I was nauseous every day. I lost 15 lbs. from not eating. And chemo dehydrates you. I looked like a scarecrow.

It would take a 300-lb. man to his knees. I had some concerts this summer. I remember standing in my dressing room in Tokyo, naked, looking in the mirror. I was pathetic: so skinny, with an IV hanging from the wardrobe rack, trying to get hydrated to go onstage. I was in bad shape. My support system—my sisters, my close friends of 30 years and my son Robbie—had never seen me like this. I was depressed. My doctor warned me I might even think of suicide. I never did. But I understand why people do. It's a hopeless emotion. Imagine having a 24-hour flu. Now imagine that times 10, every single day, for a year or longer. The side effects were so severe that she stopped the Ribavirin after a month. B

ut Cole's body responded quickly; the virus is now undetectable. Her treatment will continue until the end of the year, in hopes that she'll be cured. I'm lucky—some people are in treatment for years. But I'm still emerging from the depression. You have to make yourself do things, like just going to the store or having lunch with a friend. Even that takes so much out of you.

And of course there's always vanity. You've got to have a friend take you to the hairdresser and get your nails done. Even if you're leaning over the table sick. Vanity trumps all! But my hair's starting to fall out, so I'm getting ready to cut it all off. Seventeen years ago, when Unforgettable ... with Love came out, I cut it off too. I'm looking forward to it. It's one less thing to deal with. It's freeing.

As long as she's in treatment, Cole—who's been married three times—says dating is the last thing on her mind. I can't see putting a man through this. I'd make a horrible girlfriend. This is a very emotional, unstable time for someone with hepatitis. Then you add my celebrity life, and not many guys could deal with this. I definitely am open to love again. I just can't imagine how or where it will come from. Cole's new album,

Still Unforgettable, includes a new duet with her father, "Walkin' My Baby Back Home." Producing a new project and thinking about her father has helped her cope. My dad was so much fun. I just wish he could be here. That's the hardest part of this. I think of him every time I sing. My father led by example. He wasn't much of a talker—he walked life. That means a lot to me.

I'm committed to working. I'm a fighter, not a chump. The timing is intense. The album is special to me, and here I am sick. But you know the saying: These are the best of times and the worst of times. So we'll barrel through. If I have to, I'll kick butt sitting down. You shouldn't have regrets. I'd say instead that I've learned a lot of lessons. Yes, I could have handled some things better. But they've also made me who I am today. I like myself so much more than I did even five years ago. I can't think of anything I wish I hadn't done, even with this hepatitis. I'm almost 60—but I'm still growing.

http://www.people.com/peo...71,00.html

Natalie may look skinny. But her hair & face is glowing. I always use to wonder how Natalie & Chaka escaped the damage that drugs do & Whitney didn't. But sadly it caught up with Natalie. Chaka looks a decade younger now & it never damaged her voice. She sounds just as good as she did when she first came out. Whenever she feels like singing. Because as much as I adore her voice. She is a lazy singer..

That AI performance was horrid. But she looked beautiful..Chaka & especially Natalie are lucky they we're hardcore druggies in the 70's & 80's.Before TMZ & The Internet started exposing peeps every move...Thank God my Princey never got caught in that mess..

Jboogiee said:

A People Magazine article from 2008. Natalie Cole: 'My Life Crumbled Before My Eyes' By Marisa Laudadio After Enduring Months of Agonizing Treatment, the Grammy Winner Talks About Her Battle with Hepatitis C and How Her New Album Got Her Through One of the Toughest Times of Her Life After battling a drug addiction in the '80s, Natalie Cole, the daughter of legend Nat King Cole, led a sober and healthy life, becoming a "workout fanatic" when not racking up Grammys between world tours. But a series of blood tests in April revealed a shocker: She had hepatitis C, which had been dormant for decades. "Nothing could have prepared me for this—nothing," says Cole, 58, who was told she contracted the degenerative liver disease from sharing dirty needles. "I had to make peace with my past, because I can't change it," says the singer, who released a new album of pop standards, Still Unforgettable, Sept. 9. Cole shared her story with PEOPLE's Marisa Laudadio. In her 2000 memoir, Angel on My Shoulder, Cole wrote that drugs "were a culmination of not having resolved things"—including her father's death when she was 15. She was also molested as a child. She hit bottom in the early '80s. I was a heroin addict, sharing needles with the crowd I was with. At the time I was having fun. I didn't know. Then, 25 years later after a routine blood test, my doctor tells me, "You have hepatitis C." My life crumbled before my eyes. I never had symptoms. I didn't know anything about it. Would I still have a career? Was I going to die? How long did I have? I was devastated. I had to let it sink in for six weeks while they ran more tests. It's important to wallow and grieve when you have a health issue. I don't think you really get the best stuff out of life until you've had the worst stuff. But I was upset with the Lord: I was like, "How could you?" But I got over it. I said, "Well, I know you haven't brought me this far to leave me." Cole's doctor started her on a standard 48-week course of treatment, with chemotherapy-like injections and an antiviral drug, Ribavirin. Nothing my doctor could have done could prepare me for this. It's debilitating. I give myself a weekly injection of chemotherapy in my thigh. When I started in May, I thought I was dying. I couldn't get out of bed for three weeks—literally. I was nauseous every day. I lost 15 lbs. from not eating. And chemo dehydrates you. I looked like a scarecrow. It would take a 300-lb. man to his knees. I had some concerts this summer. I remember standing in my dressing room in Tokyo, naked, looking in the mirror. I was pathetic: so skinny, with an IV hanging from the wardrobe rack, trying to get hydrated to go onstage. I was in bad shape. My support system—my sisters, my close friends of 30 years and my son Robbie—had never seen me like this. I was depressed. My doctor warned me I might even think of suicide. I never did. But I understand why people do. It's a hopeless emotion. Imagine having a 24-hour flu. Now imagine that times 10, every single day, for a year or longer. The side effects were so severe that she stopped the Ribavirin after a month. But Cole's body responded quickly; the virus is now undetectable. Her treatment will continue until the end of the year, in hopes that she'll be cured. I'm lucky—some people are in treatment for years. But I'm still emerging from the depression. You have to make yourself do things, like just going to the store or having lunch with a friend. Even that takes so much out of you. And of course there's always vanity. You've got to have a friend take you to the hairdresser and get your nails done. Even if you're leaning over the table sick. Vanity trumps all! But my hair's starting to fall out, so I'm getting ready to cut it all off. Seventeen years ago, when Unforgettable ... with Love came out, I cut it off too. I'm looking forward to it. It's one less thing to deal with. It's freeing. As long as she's in treatment, Cole—who's been married three times—says dating is the last thing on her mind. I can't see putting a man through this. I'd make a horrible girlfriend. This is a very emotional, unstable time for someone with hepatitis. Then you add my celebrity life, and not many guys could deal with this. I definitely am open to love again. I just can't imagine how or where it will come from. Cole's new album, Still Unforgettable, includes a new duet with her father, "Walkin' My Baby Back Home." Producing a new project and thinking about her father has helped her cope. My dad was so much fun. I just wish he could be here. That's the hardest part of this. I think of him every time I sing. My father led by example. He wasn't much of a talker—he walked life. That means a lot to me. I'm committed to working. I'm a fighter, not a chump. The timing is intense. The album is special to me, and here I am sick. But you know the saying: These are the best of times and the worst of times. So we'll barrel through. If I have to, I'll kick butt sitting down. You shouldn't have regrets. I'd say instead that I've learned a lot of lessons. Yes, I could have handled some things better. But they've also made me who I am today. I like myself so much more than I did even five years ago. I can't think of anything I wish I hadn't done, even with this hepatitis. I'm almost 60—but I'm still growing. http://www.people.com/peo...71,00.html

Can't possibly read all that without spacing between paragraphs...