Here are the artists who have opened up about having the coronavirus.
Gene Simmons
Days after Kiss announced that its vocalist had tested positive for coronavirus, the band shared that their bassist had also contracted the virus. “Gene Simmons has now tested positive and is experiencing mild symptoms,” Kiss said Aug. 31, 2021. The statement also noted that the band’s next four shows would be postponed while the rockers and the crew isolate at home.
Paul Stanley
The Kiss frontman announced on Aug. 26 that he had test positive for COVID-19. “I had been sick with flu-like symptoms and was tested repeatedly and was negative,” he shared. “As of late this afternoon I tested positive. The crew, staff and band have all tested negative once again.” The band immediately postponed the night’s show, and has since postponed another.
Hilary Duff
The singer-actress revealed on Instagram Stories Aug. 20, 2021, that she had a breakthrough infection. “Symptoms: bad headache. No taste or smell. Sinus Pressure. Brain fog. Happy to be vaxxed,” she shared.
Corey Taylor
The Slipknot singer revealed in a Facebook post Aug. 20, 2021, he had contracted COVID-19 despite having gotten his shots. “I woke up today and tested positive and I’m very, very sick,” he shared. “I’m vaccinated so I’m not worried but I certainly wouldn’t want to spread it to anyone else.”
Drake
Drizzy revealed to fans on Aug. 16, 2021, in a comment on a fan account that he had contracted the virus. “I had Covid that s— grew in weird I had to start again,” he wrote in response to a photo of the heart shaved into his hair growing in. “It’s coming back don’t diss.”
Jonathan Davis
Korn announced on Aug. 16, 2021, that their frontman had tested positive for COVID-19, resulting in the cancellation of two shows, and the rescheduling of six others. Assured the rockers, “Jonathan’s spirits are high, and he’s resting and recovering now.”
Jim Jones
The rapper shared in an Instagram video Aug. 16, 2021, that he had contracted the virus. “I was running around thinking I was Superman, and COVID knocked the socks off Superman,” he said. “So I urge and encourage everybody: Please continue to mask up, please continue with hand sanitizer, social distance as much as you can … try to stay away from a lot of packed and crowded places. This s— is no joke.”
Leigh Kakaty
Pop Evil announced on Aug. 16, 2021, that the group’s singer had taken two COVID tests, and that both came back positive. The band postponed several shows and told fans, “Leigh is already feeling much better and will be back on his feet in no time.”
Mark Chesnutt
The country singer revealed on Aug. 15 that he and his wife had contracted the coronavirus. “Just wanted to give everyone a little update. I am currently on the mend from my back surgery. But, while doing so my wife Tracie and I have tested positive for Covid-19!” he tweeted.
John Bell
Widespread Panic announced on Aug. 13, 2021, that frontman John Bell had tested positive. The diagnosis resulted in the band’s Austin City Limits Live shows scheduled for Aug. 13-15 to be postponed until October.
DJ Khaled
The artist-producer shared with fans in an Aug. 12, 2021, Instagram post that he and his family had contracted COVID-19 and recovered. “My family and I recovered from COVID and we’re all good now!!” he said. “Please be safe out there! Please take care of yourself.”
Bruce Dickinson
The Iron Maiden singer revealed to Rolling Stone that though he was fully vaccinated, he had tested positive for coronavirus. “I was kind of sneezing a bit. For a couple of days, I felt a bit groggy, kind of like the flu, and that was it,” he shared. “I’ve pretty much got no doubt that had I not had the vaccine, I could be in serious trouble.”
The Kid LAROI
The Australian teen celebrated his first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 (“Stay” with Justin Bieber) by sharing his gratitude and excitement on Instagram. But in that same post, he revealed that he has been in lockdown due to contracting coronavirus.
“This is not only a big moment for me, but a really big moment for Australia. growing up all I ever wanted to do was ‘make it big’ in America and show everyone what we have to offer,” he captioned his post. “it’s been a while since I’ve been back home because of COVID (which I currently have rn and have been locked in a room for the past 7 days) but truuust me I been there in spirit lol.”
Frank Hannon
Tesla’s guitarist shared in an Aug. 8 Instagram post that he had tested positive as the band was ready to kick off its tour. “I’ve not been able to move all week in pain,” shared Hannon, who has been vaccinated. “the day the bus was leaving I woke up w 102 fever, shakes and couldn’t hardly breathe. So I stayed home. I’ve been unable to hardly move or function since.”
Rickey Medlocke
Lynryd Skynyrd’s guitarist tested positive for the virus, resulting in the band pulling out of its scheduled Pro Football Hall of Fame concert. “Rickey is home resting and responding well to treatment,” the band’s statement said.
Sebastian Bach
The Skid Row frontman shared in an Aug. 6 video that he had tested positive for the coronavirus even though he received his Johnson & Johnson vaccine in March. He credited the shot with helping him avoid serious symptoms, and said he feels “totally great.”
Wiz Khalifa
The rapper shared in a tweet on July 14 that he had contracted the coronavirus. “Okay loved ones….sooo…..Ya boy got covid. No symptoms. Just stay away from me for a lil while,” he wrote. Wiz also promised in a second message that he’d be productive with his time at home by “readying this new project.”
Rikki Rocket
The Poison drummer revealed in a video July 13, 2021, that he tested positive for COVID-19 despite having been fully vaccinated for months. Rocket shared that he didn’t know if he has the Delta variant, but said his doctors believe he has “every hallmark of being the variant.”
Matt Heafy
The frontman for Trivium revealed in a July 4, 2021, Instagram post that he had contracted the coronavirus. “Went from a non-vaccinated person to Ashley (vaccinated) to the kids (unvaccinated) to me (vaccinated),” he shared. “Thankfully due to being vaccinated it merely feels like a tour cold; my dad however got sick without a vaccine and is now 12 weeks into a very terrible recovery with lung/ heart/ liver issues. I outta be good in a day or two.”
Harry Judd
The McFly drummer revealed on Instagram April 19 that he and his wife were battling COVID-19. “Mild flu symptoms and everything smells like vinegar!” he shared.
Ted Nugent
The singer-songwriter, who has been a vocal coronavirus denier and declared he would not take the vaccine, announced on April 19 in a Facebook video that he had tested positive for COVID-19 that day. “Everybody told me that I should not announce this. I have had flu symptoms for the last 10 days. I thought I was dying,” he said. “I’ve got a stuffed up head, body aches. My God, what a pain in the a–. I literally could hardly crawl out of bed the last few days.”
Luke Bryan
The country star and American Idol judge announced on April 12 that he had tested positive for COVID-19, and would be sitting out his duties on the singing competition first live show of the season. “I’m sad to say I won’t be a part of tonight’s first live @AmericanIdol show,” he tweeted. “I tested positive for COVID but I’m doing well and look forward to being back at it soon.” He added in an interview with Extra a few days later, “I was very fortunate to not have a long set of symptoms. … It was still quite challenging for a couple of days.”
Jessica Simpson
The singer revealed on March 29 that she had previously tested positive for the coronavirus. She shared the news on Instagram while announcing her new Amazon Original Stories essay titled “Take the Lead.” “I started writing this essay on the same day I received a positive test result for COVID-19,” she wrote. “I decided instead of being driven by fear, I would manifest a hopeful conversation with you.”
Lauren Alaina
The American Idol alum canceled her March 20, 2021, concert after testing positive for COVID-19. “Some people have it way worse than me, so I just have a little bit of shortness of breath, a really bad headache, no taste or smell, pretty bad congestion and I feel pretty tired,” she shared on her Instagram Stories. “But I overall feel like it’s going to be OK.”
Trisha Yearwood
A health update from the country music superstar and husband Garth Brooks on Feb. 24 noted that the power couple began quarantining at home following positive coronavirus test by a member of their team.
Brooks tested negative. “Anyone who knows me knows my world begins and ends with Miss Yearwood, so she and I will ride through this together,” he continued, noting that he’ll be spending some time laying low, pausing his weekly Inside Studio G conversation on Facebook for the time being. “And anyone who knows her knows she’s a fighter and she’s been doing everything right, so I know we’ll walk out the other side of this thing together.”
Alice Cooper
The rocker shared with fans in a February 2021 video that he was getting his vaccine. But not only that, he also revealed he had previously contracted COVID-19. “We’re out here getting vaccinated,” he said. “We’ve already had COVID but we got vaccinated anyways.”
DJ Spinderella
Deidra Roper — better known as Salt-N-Pepa’s DJ Spinderella — revealed to Billboard in an interview about the likelihood of the Grammy-winning group reuniting that she contracted COVID-19. “I feel like I may have had it, like, when it first dropped on us. But I had COVID over the holiday — Thanksgiving — and it was rough, but thank God I made it through.”
Maynard James Keenan
The Tool frontman has battled COVID-19 twice. He first told AZ Central that he contracted coronavirus back in February and is still recovering. “I’m still dealing with the residual effects,” he explained. “But it was ugly. I survived it, but it wasn’t pretty. So I definitely had to deal with that.”
“I still have the cough,” he continued. “Every other day, I have these coughing fits because my lungs are still damaged at the tips. And I just got over the inflammation that was going on with my wrist and hands. I had an autoimmune attack on my system in the form of, like, a rheumatoid arthritis. Basically, from what I understand, it attacks weird spots and it’s random. So that’s what I got. That was my prize.”
On Feb. 3, 2021, he revealed in a new interview that he had contracted the virus again in November, and it was so bad he wound up in the ER. “I could barely put two words together without going into a coughing fit that, you know? It ended up kind of also progressing into pneumonia.
Maggie Lindemann
In her Billboard interview, Lindemann shared that she tested positive in June 2020, and had a bad fever and body aches. “I don’t have the antibodies, and I do not want to get COVID again,” she said, noting that she’s avoiding people as much as possible to prevent a second infection.
Chesca
The Puerto Rican singer shared with Instagram followers on Jan. 16 that she had tested positive for the coronavirus. “I went to the studio where one of the producers who was there felt sick,” she wrote in Spanish. “I asked him if it was COVID and he said no, that he was hungover. It was COVID and unfortunately it spread to all of us who were there.”
Ashanti
Just hours before her Dec. 12 Verzuz battle against Keyshia Cole, Ashanti revealed that she had contracted the virus. “Hey y’all I can’t believe I’m saying this but I tested positive for COVID-19. I’m ok and not in any pain,” she shared on Instagram. In a video she posted to the social media platform later, Ashanti said, “Never in a millions years did I think I would get COVID.” The music event was eventually canceled.
Gloria Estefan
In December, the Cuban-American legend took to social media to share her experience with COVID-19 after testing positive on Nov. 8. “In the past few weeks I have been one of the victims of COVID,” she shared. “October 30 was the only day I ever went out. I was wearing my mask and I went to a restaurant outdoors with some family. We wore masks all the way to the table and when we left. But [at the restaurant] somebody came up to me when I was eating and tapped me on the shoulder. They had no mask and were very close.”
Bernard Sumner
The New Order frontman revealed in a November interview on The Current that he had contracted the coronavirus. He revealed that his symptoms at first were fairly minor and subsided for a four days before returning. “When it came back, it was more severe, but still not too bad,” he explained. “I just felt extreme fatigue, like a really bad hangover. And then it went away, and I’m OK.”
Ben Platt
The Tony-winning Broadway star revealed on Nov. 15 that he battled COVID-19 in March. “it was like an awful flu that lingered for 3 weeks or so,” he tweeted. “thankfully made a full recovery. so many haven’t been as lucky and will continue not to be.”
Trey Songz
The artist shared in an Instagram video on Oct. 5 that he had tested positive for COVID-19. “I’ve taken many tests as I’ve been out protesting, food drives, of course I have a very young son at home, so I get tested periodically and this time it unfortunately came back positive,” he shared, and urged his fans to take the pandemic seriously and follow health guidelines. The singer-rapper ended with a dig at Donald Trump, who recently tested positive: “Don’t be like the president.”
J Balvin
While accepting the video with a purpose award for his music video “Rojo” at Premios Juventud 2020, J Balvin revealed he tested positive for coronavirus and is on the road to recovery.
In a pre-recorded video, Balvin, who spoke from his native Medellín, Colombia, said, “At this moment, I’m just getting better from COVID-19. These have been very difficult days, very complicated. Sometimes we won’t think that we’ll get it but I got it and I got it bad,” Balvin said.
Prince Royce
“It’s so frustrating to me to see people at supermarkets without a mask. It’s so frustrating to me to see that people are being irresponsible and not protecting others,” Royce said in an interview with the Associated Press on July 3.
“I thought I was washing my hands, I thought I was wearing a mask, you know. And I think that for me it was just a wake-up call,” he continued.
Doja Cat
“I got COVID. … Honestly, I don’t know how this happens but I guess I ordered something off of Postmates, and I don’t know how I got it but I got it,” she said during an interview with the U.K.’s Capital XTRA on July 24. “I’m OK now. It was a four-day symptom freak-out but I’m fine now.”
Anna Camp
The Pitch Perfect and True Blood actress opened up on July 21 about testing positive for the coronavirus, and how she was “extremely sick for over three weeks.” Camp explained on Instagram: “I was incredibly safe. I wore a mask. I used hand sanitizer. One time, when the world was starting to open up, I decided to forgo wearing my mask. One. Time. And I ended up getting it.” She went on to tell her followers that comparing COVID-19 to the flu is wrong. “This is absolutely not that,” Camp wrote, also noting that even after recovering, she still has “lingering symptoms.”
Karol G
The Colombian artist shared during an Instagram live on July 13 that she had tested positive for COVID-19 a few weeks ago. “I hadn’t said anything because my parents are far away and I didn’t want them to worry about me,” she explained after stories started circulating that she had contracted the coronavirus. “Because my new single [Ay DiOs Mío] was coming out, I didn’t want coronavirus to be the news.”
Kanye West
The rapper revealed in a July 8 interview with Forbes that he contracted the disease back in February. “Chills, shaking in the bed, taking hot showers, looking at videos telling me what I’m supposed to do to get over it,” West said of the symptoms he experienced. “I remember someone had told me Drake had the coronavirus and my response was Drake can’t be sicker than me!”
Andrea Bocelli
The Italian singer revealed in a Facebook post on May 26 that he and a few members of his family battled COVID-19 in March. “Out of respect for those for whom contracting the virus has had more serious consequences, I decided it would be best not to share the news,” said Bocelli, who noted that his case was mild and he has recuperated fully. “I certainly didn’t want to unnecessarily alarm my fans and also wished to protect my family’s privacy.”
Damian Kulash
The OK Go frontman shared his battle with COVID-19 on the band’s website, along with their new song “All Together Now,” which was inspired by the nightly cheering for front-line workers around the world. In an open letter to fans, Kulash shared that he and his wife caught the virus early, when there were only six known cases in California.
“My symptoms lasted forever, but were only genuinely scary for a day and a half. My wife Kristin’s battle was tougher, though. She was only briefly at the hospital, but bedridden with breathing problems for a long stretch,” he shared. “We’re extremely lucky. She made a full recovery, and though the kids did have symptoms, they never got much worse than a nasty cold. My heart aches for those who haven’t had the same luck.”
Madonna
The icon explained via Instagram that she thought she had come down with “a very bad flu,” but recently tested positive for the COVID-19 antibodies. “Thank God we are all healthy and well now,” she wrote.
DJ Jazzy Jeff
The DJ did two interviews on April 14 to discuss his battle against the coronavirus. He first did a video chat with Tamron Hall, explaining that he experienced the symptoms shortly after returning home from his performance at the Black Summit of the National Brotherhood of Skiers in Ketchum, Idaho, in early March. He later called into his former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air costar and musical collaborator Will Smith’s Snapchat show to detail his symptoms: “I had a temperature that reached 103. I had the chills. I lost sense of smell. I lost sense of taste.”
Sturgill Simpson
Simpson confirmed that he tested positive for COVID-19 after exhibiting systems following his tours across western Europe and the southeastern United States. It was a struggle for him to get tested for the coronavirus in spite of his travels and symptoms, but he was eventually tested on March 13 and confirmed he had the virus in early April. “All I know is I first felt symptoms a month ago yet Im still positive and contagious and now on quarantine in the dojo until April 19th and really wishing Id taken my wife’s advice and put a bathroom in the floor plans,” he wrote on Instagram. “live and learn..”
P!nk
P!nk revealed April 3 via social media that she had tested positive for COVID-19. “Two weeks ago my three-year-old son, Jameson, and I were showing symptoms of COVID-19. Fortunately, our primary care physician had access to tests and I tested positive,” she wrote in a post that went up on both Twitter and Instagram. “My family was already sheltering at home and continued to do so for the last two weeks following the instruction of our doctor. Just a few days ago, we were re-tested and are now thankfully negative.” Pink went on to call testing an “absolute travesty” in our country, adding that it is a “failure of our government to not make testing more widely accessible. This illness is serious and real. People need to know that the illness affects the young and old, healthy and unhealthy, rich and poor, and we must make testing free and more widely accessible to protect our children, our families, our friends and our communities.” To help the process, the 40-year-old announced that she is making a sizable donation of $1 million to support health care workers on the frontlines. On April 5, she shared more details about her family’s experience with the coronavirus in an Instagram live chat, saying that “Jameson has had the worst of it. I’ve had many nights where I’ve cried and I’ve never prayed more in my life.”
Babyface
Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds took to Twitter on April 10 to thank fans for their birthday messages and also to reveal that he had tested positive for the coronavirus, along with his family. “I feel so blessed to be able to celebrate another birthday,” he wrote. “I tested positive for the Covid19 virus, as did my family. It’s an incredibly scary thing to go through my friends.” Thankfully, he went on to note that they “have now tested negative and are on our way back to full health.”
Christopher Cross
Singer-songwriter Christopher Cross revealed on April 3 that he was diagnosed with the coronavirus. The five-time Grammy winner shared the news in a lengthy Facebook post.”I’m sorry to report that I am among the growing number of Americans who tested positive for the COVID-19 virus,” he wrote. “Although I am fortunate enough to be cared for at home, this is possibly the worst illness I’ve ever had.”
He shared more details in an October interview with CBS Sunday Morning: “It was the worst 10 days of my life,” he said. “And I couldn’t walk, could barely move. And so, it was certainly the darkest of times for me. You know? It really was touch and go, and tough.”
Sara Bareilles
The singer-songwriter and actress revealed in her Instagram Stories on April 2 that she had contracted the coronavirus, but is OK. “I had it, just so you know. I’m fully recovered, just so you know,” she explained in a video of her taking a walk. “I am just thinking about all of the people who are walking through this really tricky time and sending a lot of love and just being really grateful for every easy breath and every day that I get to be walking around.”
YNW Melly
YNW Melly has tested positive for the coronavirus while awaiting trial in Florida’s Broward County Jail, the rapper’s Instagram account confirmed on April 2. “He’ll be filing a motion for restricted release in hopes of better care due to any jails not being prepared to treat this new virus,” the post alongside a photo with his family reads. “He hopes for your support and to recover soon #prayformelly send positive energy to him please.”
Larry Campbell
The 65-year-old guitarist and Grammy-winning producer told Rolling Stone on April 2 that his coronavirus experience began with a cough he attributed to pollen. He then had a high fever and soon tested positive for COVID-19. “I’m still trying to assess all this. For the past two weeks, I’ve been struggling to stay alive. It really is that serious,” he said. “That makes you reassess what you’re doing here. I haven’t been able to touch or hold Teresa, or even look at her, this whole time. We’ve been on the phone constantly. It makes me see how valuable our relationship is.”
Runaway June’s Jennifer Wayne
The country songstress revealed that loading up on vitamins helped her recover from the virus. “Vitamin C, Vitamin D3, B complex; chaga mushrooms and ZINC! Lots of Zinc. I also drank more water and Gatorade then I ever have in my life. I wanted to flush that thing out of my system. Those vitamins and staying hydrated and rest were a lifesaver for me.”
“Next up, donating my blood and plasma to help others,” she concluded. “Sorry for the long post, and sending LOTS of love to all of you and hope you are staying healthy and safe!”
John Taylor (of Duran Duran)
The bassist, who says he has recovered, revealed he tested positive on Duran Duran’s social media pages on April 5, writing: “I have decided to share with you that I tested positive with the Corona Virus almost three weeks ago. Perhaps I am a particularly robust 59 year old – I like to think I am – or was blessed with getting only a mild case of Covid 19 – but after a week or so of what I would describe as a ‘Turbo-charged Flu’, I came out of it feeling okay- although I must admit I didn’t mind the quarantine as it gave me the chance to really recover.”
Wreckless Eric
The “Whole Wide World” singer-songwriter wrote a lengthy blog post about his experience with COVID-19, detailing his symptoms — chest and rib pain, cough, low-grade fever, intermittent headaches — and the process of getting tested. “I felt deeply disturbed when I got the news and quite emotional,” he admitted. but said he’s “ok. I’m more concerned about people who haven’t got anybody, people who are going through this alone.”
Brian Stokes Mitchell
The Tony-winning Broadway star announced to fans in a video tweeted on April 1 that he had tested positive for COVID-19. The actor said he could feel his “body fighting something unusual,” but is now feeling better. “For the last number of days — probably three or four — every day that has passed has been better than the previous, so I’m pretty sure I’m over the hump,” he said. “Take care of yourselves. Keep your social distancing.”
Kalie Shorr
The country singer shared with fans on March 30 that she had contracted the coronavirus “despite being quarantined,” going out only for groceries. Shorr shared in tweets that “the first few days were absolutely miserable. … My entire body was in pain, and my fever was like riding a wave.” She is now on the mend. “I’m feeling significantly better,” Shorr wrote, “but it’s proof how dangerous and contagious this is. It’s endlessly frustrating to see people not taking this seriously.”
Juan Pablo Villamil
The Morat band member revealed in a March 26 message from the group that he had tested positive for the coronavirus. The musicians explained that they had been in Spain and Mexico, and upon arriving home in Colombia, they decided to be safe and self-quarantine, noting that they had experienced mild symptoms. “Villa was tested because he had symptoms and was positive for COVID-19. For having been together for 14 days and having some similar symptoms, it’s our responsibility to assume that we all have the virus,” they wrote on their Instagram post. “We have had very mild symptoms. We must be careful not to become contagion agents. We love you and ask you to stay home and listen to what the authorities say.”
Joe Diffie
Veteran country artist Joe Diffie tested positive for COVID-19. Diffie, who was the first country artist to announce publicly that he has been diagnosed, said in a statement on March 27: “I am under the care of medical professionals and currently receiving treatment… We want to remind the public and all my fans to be vigilant, cautious and careful during this pandemic.” On March 29, he died from complications of the virus.
Caroline Polachek
The singer-songwriter revealed that she likely had COVID-19 early on before testing was available. “Well, I got it about a month ago, and at that point there weren’t… In most places there still aren’t tests available, but without a doubt it was coronavirus and not the flu. It was all the same symptoms,” Polachek explained. “And actually I had a couple of symptoms that at the time weren’t being so reported on, like loss of sense of smell and weird stomach issues as well. That’s one of the things that made it so different than the flu was these weird stomach cramps. And at the time those were curveballs, so I was like, I’m not sure if I have this or not.”
Chris Sligh
The Christian singer and finalist in season six of American Idol revealed he was battling with COVID-19 in early July. Sligh’s condition took a turn for the worse and he revealed he’d contracted pneumonia. “Breathing without pain or coughing is difficult & I didn’t get much sleep last night, but hopefully the antibiotics do their work fast,” he wrote on Instagram. Sligh has impacted the Billboard 200 on three occasions, including a top 10 with 2008’s Empty Me.
BeBe Winans
The gospel artist stopped by SiriusXM’s The Joe Madison Show to reveal that while he has recovered, fighting COVID-19 wasn’t an easy process. “I’m a man of faith and just raised in and in my mind, I’m just concrete in the subject matter that God is greater than everything,” he said. Yet, and still, it’s so important for us to use common sense. So, being on the other side of it now, I’m just grateful that the word, I just finished my run and through the whole run, I was just saying, God, I thank you. I thank you because it could have been a different outcome for me and my family. So, I’ve learned to be more grateful for life itself. Forget about homes and automobiles and all these things. You can’t take none of that. That means nothing to you when your health is gone.”
John Prine
On March 29, Prine’s family spoke for him to announce that the singer had been hospitalized, and was in critical condition, due to coronavirus symptoms. On April 7, the Americana legend died due to complications of COVID-19. The two-time Grammy-winning artist was 73.
Scarface
Scarface revealed his diagnosis March 26 during a live stream with his Geto Boys bandmate Willie D. The rapper explained that he had been sick for weeks, in-and-out of treatment, but officially got his results on March 25. What started out as an “itch” in the throat, led to Scarface heading to the emergency room, where he was given an IV and antibiotics. After he was discharged, he returned to the ER “even sicker,” and noted that “It started off with pneumonia in both of my lungs and three or four days later my kidneys failed. I’ve been to the point where I felt I was gonna die.” In late April, he updated that he was on dialysis due to kidney failure. “That’s my new lifeline,” he said of his dialysis port. “Hanging on that string of death makes you really appreciate life,” Scarface added. “I was inches away from death.”
Asleep at the Wheel’s Ray Benson
The leader of the Texas-based band alerted fans via Facebook on March 31 that he had tested positive for the coronavirus but says he remains optimistic. “Hoping for the best don’t have the usual symptoms but feel tired head ache no fever no cough!!” Benson posted on Facebook. “I’ll be ok sure do miss playin music and seein everyone!”
Sam Smith
Sam Smith is convinced they caught the bug, but didn’t get tested. “I know I had it. 100 percent had it. Everything I’ve read completely pointed to that,” Smith told Beats 1’s Zane Lowe. After three weeks in self-isolation, Smith is feeling fine. The Brit dueted with John Legend on “Stand By Me” for the “Together At Home” concert.
Slim Thug
On March 24, Slim Thug announced via Instagram that he tested positive for the coronavirus. “Check this out. No games being played. The other day I got tested for the coronavirus, and it came back positive,” Thug revealed. “As careful as I been self-quarantined and staying home — I might have went and got something to eat, stayed in my truck, mask, gloves, everything on — my test came back positive.” The “Like a Boss” MC warned fans to take the virus seriously and cautioned them to stay indoors despite wanting to interact outside.
Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne revealed March 24 that he has tested positive for the coronavirus. In an interview with Rolling Stone, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer said he immediately sought out testing when he developed a cough and started running a fever. He did test positive, but he downplayed the severity of his illness. “My symptoms are really pretty mild, so I don’t require any kind of medication and certainly not hospitalization or anything like that,” Browne said. The 71-year-old rocker is pretty certain he picked up the virus on his recent trip to New York for the Love Rocks NYC benefit, which moved forward on March 12 as planned but, for the first time, live-streamed and with no audience because of early coronavirus cautions. “Now I wish I hadn’t gone to New York and done this benefit,” he admitted.
Adam Schlesinger
Adam Schlesinger, the songwriter and bassist known best as a member of Fountains of Wayne and Ivy, and for his Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated work in TV and film, died from coronavirus complications on April 1 at age 52. The musician’s longtime attorney Josh Grier told Billboard on March 31 that Schlesinger had “tested positive for the virus, and has been hospitalized on a ventilator.”
Alan Merrill
The musician, known for co-writing “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll” (originally for his band the Arrows, though it was later famously recorded and made a hit by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts), died from COVID-19 on March 29, according to a message shared by his daughter Laura, who spoke openly of her father’s death. “How could this be? I was just at his show a couple of weeks ago. I had just photographed his portrait for his new album. Texted with him earlier. He played down the “cold” he thought he had,” she wrote on Facebook. “People are dying. You don’t think It’ll happen to you or your strong family. It has. Stay home if not for you…for others. For my dad. This thing is real. We probably won’t be able to mourn him properly with a funeral. I just lost the greatest love of my life and won’t be able to hug anyone because I’ve been exposed and need to self quarantine for two weeks….alone.”
Charlotte Lawrence
The singer-songwriter told fans March 18 that she had been diagnosed with the coronavirus. “I am going to be completely fine,” she assured her followers in an Instagram post before urging them to help reduce the number of people infected by self-isolating. “Stay inside. Please. Whether you feel sick or not, stay inside. … Think about someone else getting your loved ones sick because they don’t listen, because they thought they knew better. Because they were selfish. We have the power to slow this down.”
Andrew Watt
The music producer, who worked on Cardi B’s Grammy-winning album Invasion of Privacy and each of Post Malone’s three albums, shared in a March 17 Instagram post that he was originally diagnosed with the flu when he started feeling sick on March 6 and was told by a doctor that he absolutely didn’t have the coronavirus. Watt explained that he went to the ER and “begged” to be tested and was denied, and it wasn’t until he got a private doctor that he found out he had the virus. “To have the mentality ‘I’m young and this can’t affect me’ is just straight up stupid and so dangerous to everyone around you,” wrote the 29-year-old. “It’s not about you. It’s about everyone together fighting this as a team.”
DJ Webstar
DJ Webstar, best known for his 2009 hit “Chicken Noodle Soup,” has tested positive for the coronavirus. The producer announced the news March 24 via Instagram. “I started getting a lot of symptoms on about 9-10 days ago, so isolated myself immediately,” he explained. “Fever, headaches, sore throat, shortness of breath, body aches, no appetite. So I thought it was the flu originally. The flu test back came back negative. The COVID test I got back about an hour ago and I tested positive for it.”
David Bryan (of Bon Jovi)
The Bon Jovi keyboardist, who is also a Tony Award-winning composer (Memphis), said in an Instagram update on March 21 that he’s “feeling better each day” after testing positive and remaining quarantined for a week (with another week to follow). He urged followers to not be afraid of the virus, but reminded them to “please help out each other. This will be over soon… with the help of every American!!”
Placido Domingo
The opera singer announced on social media on March 22 that he had tested positive and is isolating in self-quarantine. “I experienced fever and cough symptoms therefore deciding to get tested and the result came back positive,” he said. “I beg everyone to be extremely careful, follow the basic guidelines by washing your hands frequently, keeping at least a 6 feet distance from others, doing everything you can to stop the virus from spreading and please above all stay home if you can!”
Sandi Patty
The gospel singer shared on March 17 that she and her husband, Don, had both tested positive and are under quarantine for two weeks. “This is not fake news,” she insisted on Instagram. “If you are not already practicing social distancing and STAYING HOME, DO SO NOW! This is what we can all do. This is how we stop the spread.”
Ocean Grove
An unidentified member of the Aussie metalcore act has contracted COVID-19. The Melbourne band just completed a round of meet-and-greets in support of their new album Flip Phone Fantasy, the followup to 2017’s The Rhapsody Tapes which peaked at No. 5 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Reps for Ocean Grove’s label UNIFIED say “please keep the Ocean Grove guys (and others affected) in your hearts and minds during this time.”
Thelma Plum
Multiple ARIA Award-nominated Australian singer Thelma Plum was hospitalized after contracting the novel coronavirus. In a social post, Plum wrote that she’s “doing really good, feeling good,” but warned of the virus’ potential harm, particularly to Australia’s Indigenous communities. “Looking after your mental health during the coronavirus outbreak is key,” she wrote.
Idris Elba
The Golden Globe-winning actor, who is also a musician (he opened for Madonna’s Rebel Heart Tour in Berlin), told fans in a video on March 16 that he has COVID-19. After learning that he was in contact with someone who had tested positive, “I quarantined myself and got tested immediately,” Elba said, emphasizing that he showed no symptoms. “Look, this is serious, you know? Now’s the time to really think about social distancing, washing your hands.”
Brandon Hoover
The Crown the Empire guitarist revealed that he thought he had picked up a case of the flu through his travels, and it wasn’t until he went to the ER that he found out it was actually the coronavirus. “I advise everyone to keep yourselves informed, stay isolated, drink lots of water and wash your hands!” he tweeted to his fans on March 16.
Rita Wilson
The recording artist’s husband, actor Tom Hanks, shared with the world on March 11 that the couple had been diagnosed while in Australia. Per the actor, Wilson had some chills and slight fevers. While in isolation, she reached out to fans on Twitter for suggestions for a quarantine playlist. Hours later, she revealed the 28-song “Quarantunes.”
DJ Black N Mild
New Orleans bounce DJ and radio personality Black N Mild died on March 19 after testing positive for the coronavirus. The Orleans Parish coroner’s office confirmed March 20 that the DJ, born Oliver Stokes Jr., died after contracting COVID-19. He was 44. Stokes reportedly left work with a fever on March 9 and documented the early stages of his sickness on social media, writing his last post — “pneumonia not the flu” — on March 11.
Aaron Tveit
Broadway star Aaron Tveit, age 36, revealed on Monday (March 23) via Instagram that he has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus and has been in quarantine since Broadway shows shut down on March 12.
Testament singer Chucky Billy
Testament lead singer Chuck Billy and several members of the long-running hard rock band’s crew have tested positive for COVID-19. The band announced the news on March 22 in a statement, explaining that several group members began feeling unwell after returning from their Bay Strikes back European tour earlier this month.
Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien
On March 23, Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien posted on Instagram that he has been home for days with flu-like symptoms and that he “most probably” has the coronavirus, though he hasn’t been tested yet because he thinks the scarce tests should be reserved for the “vulnerable in our community.”
Wallace Roney
On March 31, Jazz trumpeter and composer Wallace Roney died due to complications from the coronavirus. He was 59 years old. According to NPR, Roney was admitted to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson, New Jersey, last Wednesday.
Fred the Godson
On Monday (April 6), Fred the Godson uploaded a photo from the hospital, breathing through a ventilator. “I’m in here with this Covid-19 s—! Please keep me in y’all prayers!!! #GodIsGreat,” he wrote.
Ellis Marsalis
The New Orleans jazz patriarch died on April 1 at age 85. He is survived by six sons, four of whom are musicians: Pulitzer and Grammy winner Wynton; Grammy winner Branford; trombonist and producer Delfeayo; percussionist Jason; photographer Ellis III; and Mboya. “Pneumonia was the actual thing that caused his demise,” Ellis III told The Associated Press. “But it was pneumonia brought on by COVID-19.”
John “Bucky” Pizzarelli
The jazz guitarist died at age 94 on April 1. His family told The New York Times that they believe he died from the coronavirus after testing positive. Over the course of the celebrated musician’s decades-long career, he played at the White House multiple times, including for Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, and also performed with Frank Sinatra. “Jazz guitar wouldn’t be what it is today without Bucky Pizzarelli,” said jazz guitarist Frank Vignola.
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