Despite how much we may want it to be over, COVID-19 is not through with us.
The latest indication of this is the saddening news that Jeremih, the 33-year-old singer-songwriter from Chicago who broke onto music the scene in 2009 with his massively successful track “Birthday Sex”, has been hospitalized with the coronavirus and is reportedly in serious condition.
On Saturday, TMZ said its sources had confirmed that Jeremih, whose birth name is Jeremy Felton, is at the ICU at a hospital in Chicago and on a ventilator.
“Sources with direct knowledge tell us the R&B singer is being treated at a hospital for COVID-19. It’s unclear how long he’s been admitted, or how long he’s had the virus ... but he is not doing well,” reports TMZ, which added that his condition has recently gotten worse.
News of the Jeremih’s diagnosis was first made public by 50 Cent, who posted on Instagram that the singer is “not doing good” and “this covid shit is real” while asking for prayers for him.
Jeremih is a frequent collaborator with other hip hop and R&B acts, and has three studio albums under his belt along with Billboard charting singles like “Down On Me,” and “Don’t Tell ‘Em.”
Others in the music industry also took to social media over the weekend to ask for well-wishes for Jermih, including Chance the Rapper (who is a Chicago native like the singer).
“If you can, take a second to pray for my friend Jeremih,” said Chance. “He is like a brother to me and he’s ill right now.”
Producer Hitmaka also confirmed on social media that the singer was sick with COVID-19, saying that he received the blessing of Jeremih’s mother to ask for prayers.
Like most of the country, Illinois—and Chicago specifically—has seen a steady increase in positive coronavirus cases in the past week.
From NBC Chicago:
The state also saw its hospitalization numbers continue to increase on Saturday, with 5,415 residents currently in hospitals due to coronavirus-like illnesses. Of those patients, 1,018 are currently in intensive care units, and 499 are on ventilators.
The state reported 15,415 new cases and 27 additional deaths Friday, according to data from Illinois Department of Public Health, which marked the fourth day in a row Illinois has reported a record high one-day case count.
Chicago officials on Thursday issued a stay-at-home advisory and new restrictions on gathering sizes as metrics continue to surge, with Mayor Lori Lightfoot saying the city had reached a “critical point” in the pandemic.
More than 181,100 new cases of COVID-19 were reported nationwide on Friday, according to the New York Times.
We are keeping Jeremih in our thoughts and hoping for his full recovery.