R&B singer Chaka Khan has entered rehab to battle an addiction to prescription painkillers, and she’s crediting Prince‘s death as the inspiration.
Khan, 63, is cancelling all of her scheduled July performances, with the goal of focusing on her health.
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The legendary singer said she’s been battling an addiction to the same medication that led to Prince’s death — fentanyl, an opioid painkiller — and that his passing motivated her decision to seek treatment. The two singers were good friends and collaborated on multiple occasions.
“Chaka Khan has entered an addiction rehabilitation and aftercare program which will cause her to postpone all dates scheduled for the month of July,” her rep said in a statement. “Chaka has struggled with a dependence on prescription pain medications and has voluntarily entered the program to get healthy and stay that way. As part of the ongoing outpatient treatment the doctors have urged her to resume recording mid-July and all performances beginning August 1st and onward.”
Khan shot to fame with hits I’m Every Woman and I Feel For You, and is revered in the industry as a trailblazer.
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She had previously spent time in rehab in 2013.
“The battle of addiction is a serious and long process, which is why I chose to address my use of prescription medications — which came about as a result of the knee surgery I had a few years ago,” Khan wrote on her website about that rehab visit. “When and if necessary, I will seek alternative methods and traditional treatment to stay ahead of any potential problem. So many are not here today, and have lost this battle with addiction. Because these medications are legal, their abuse is often unknown — until it’s too late. If not handled they are a silent killer.”
Prince died from an overdose at age 57 at his Paisley Park studios in April.
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