It appears things are worse than we knew.

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Vandross Not Breathing On His Own
By Lia Haberman

Earlier Thursday, there seemed to be a bit of good news about Luther Vandross' prognosis--his publicist announced that the R&B soul man was finally breathing on his own after being felled by a stroke last month.

But hopes for a quick recovery were dashed hours later, when publicist Lois Najarian said the information was incorrect, and the singer still required assistance to breathe.

Relaying a message from Vandross' mother about the perceived improvement, Najarian initially told the Associated Press this morning that the singer no longer needed a tube in his throat to breathe. That proved incorrect, the publicist now says.

"There's been no radical change in his condition," his publicist, Lois Najarian, tells the AP. The 52-year-old remains unconscious and in critical condition in the intensive care unit at a New York City hospital.

The "Here and Now" singer was stricken in his Manhattan home April 16. Vandross wasn't discovered until hours later and was then rushed to Weill-Cornell Medical College, where he was listed in critical but stable condition.

According to his manager, Vandross' convalescence has been slow, hampered by a bout of pneumonia that caused a buildup of fluid in his lungs and labored breathing.

As a result, doctors were forced to perform a tracheotomy last week, inserting a tube through an opening in Vandross' throat to help him breathe easier.

The operation reportedly didn't damage his vocal abilities. "The tracheotomy was performed in a manner in which his vocal cords were not affected or damaged," said his manager Carmen Romano in a statement released last week.

Whether Vandross ever croons another note is an aside to family and friends who are just hoping the R&B legend wakes up.

"Currently, the doctors report that neurologically he is minimally responsive," Romano said in last week's statement. "We're waiting for him to regain full consciousness. I am told this may take some time."

Vandross' hospitalization nixed an appearance at the opening ceremonies of Memphis' Stax Museum of American Soul Music April 30 and a guest-judge gig on American Idol which had been slated for May 6.

The six-foot-three R&B man has waged a very public battle with his weight over the years--clocking in at as much as 340 pounds--making his health a source of speculation. He has also battled diabetes and hypertension.

Through it all, the thrice Grammy'd Vandross has continued to be the go-to guy for silky smooth love songs, including "Give Me the Reason," "Always and Forever" and "Never Too Much." His latest album, Dance with My Father, is due out June 17.

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I hope he pulls through. Pray for him, y'all.

luthaaa...

Hope the man pulls through.

I saw a quick blip about this tonight on the "E" channel.

Get well soon, Luther! I love this guy; think I'll put his CD on now to listen to it.

My Mom was stricken similarly.
I have not given up hope on Luther, but there came a time for my Mom when I
knew that sleep would be better for her than a vegetated life.
She was a petite woman of about 130 pounds, but the doctors said smoking
contributed to her stroke.
I really feel sad for Luther's Mom and nieces and nephews.
Really sad.

Melody

This will fuck with my cypher..it's about to get rocked I think.

I really wish and hope he gets better, he's way too young.

In the meantime take care of yourselves and the ones you love.

http://www.ash-us.org/

we're rooting for you Luther!

Damn, I had no idea it was this bad

Yes, I heard about this earlier today too.

Hotep...

SensualMelody said:

I'm so sorry to hear what happened to your mom, SensualMelody. How awful!