Cleveland rap legend Krayzie Bone is reportedly fighting for his life after an unfortunate health emergency.
Admitted to a Los Angeles hospital on Friday (Sept. 22), TMZ stated that the Bone Thugs-N-Harmony member experienced severe coughing episodes that produced large amounts of blood.
According to the outlet’s report, immediate medical scans showed a leaking artery in one of the rapper’s lungs. Doctors conducted emergency surgery, but the bleeding persisted. On Sunday (Sept. 24), the 50-year-old remained sedated and relied on a breathing machine for respiratory support, the outlet added.
Krayzie’s condition was reportedly complicated by his ongoing battle with sarcoidosis. The inflammatory ailment causes the immune system to overreact, forming clusters of inflamed tissue called granulomas in vital organs. Per the American Lung Society, sarcoidosis often targets the lungs and lymph nodes and can become life-threatening.
As news spread, prayers flooded social media. Fellow group member Bizzy Bone took to Instagram Stories. He urged, “Pray 4 Kray. Can’t sleep. Sometimes you just gotta pray.”
On Twitter, Kid Cudi wrote, “Prayin’ for you, Kray.” Three 6 Mafia‘s DJ Paul and Juicy J echoed the sentiments with the latter sharing, “Prayers up for Krayzie Bone.” Elsewhere, LeBron James also tweeted his support. “[Prayers] to Krayzie, man!!!!” he wrote.
The health crisis came on the heels of a triumphant moment for Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. In August, the group celebrated hip hop’s 50th anniversary and their own 30-year legacy by receiving a street name in their honor — Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Way — in Cleveland.
Krayzie commemorated the milestone on Instagram by expressing excitement for the future of the genre.
During a 2016 interview with VIBE, he spoke about the collective’s influence on hip hop. Krayzie shared, “Yeah, I think that’s important for music. I’ve always felt like the older generation and the newer generations should always bridge that gap in music. I like what A$AP Mob is doing. They even said that they based the whole way that they named themselves, and some of the music that they do was influenced by us.”