Justin Timberlake reveals 'debilitating' Lyme disease diagnosis as he wraps world tour
"Living with this can be relentlessly debilitating," he said in a lengthy message to fans posted to Instagram on Wednesday.
The 44-year old said he wanted to "shed some light about what he's been up against behind the scenes" on his The Forget Tomorrow World Tour, which began on April 29, 2024, in Vancouver and wrapped up in Istanbul on Tuesday.
Fans had recently criticized Timberlake for low-energy performances at recent concerts in Europe.
He said that he had dealt with a "massive amount of nerve pain" or at times felt "crazy fatigue or sickness" while on stage during the tour.
Lyme disease is caused by a bacterial infection that is usually the result of of a tick bite. The illness progresses in stages.
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, early signs of the illness can include fever, fatigue and muscle and joint aches, while later-stage symptoms can include pain in bones and nerves, weakness, tingling or loss of sensation in limbs, swelling of the brain and spinal cord, memory loss and the inability to think clearly.
"I was faced with a personal decision. Stop touring? Or, keep going and figure it out," he wrote.
"I decided the joy that performing brings me far outweighs the fleeting stress my body was feeling. I'm so glad I kept going."
The former member of the boy band NSYNC thanked his fans for supporting him on his most recent tour and throughout the years.
"Your energy and love continues to humble me," he said.
The SexyBack and Mirrors singer said he's generally a private person and was "reluctant" to speak about his health conditions but that he's "trying to be more transparent about my struggles so that they aren't misinterpreted."
He added that he wants to do his part to help others living with the disease.
Tick-borne illnesses are on the rise. Here's what to look out for
22 days ago
Dr. Samir Gupta, a Toronto-based respirologist, is warning of an increase in tick bites and tick-borne illnesses across Canada. Ticks are parasites that feed on the blood of wild animals and are known to transmit bacteria through bites.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
3 days ago
- CTV News
Trump administration weighs fate of $9M stockpile of contraceptives feared earmarked for destruction
Irene A Kerkulah, the health officer in charge at the Palala Clinic, looks at an almost-empty shelf at the clinic that once held contraceptives, in Bong County, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Annie Risemberg, File) BRUSSELS — President Donald Trump's administration says it is weighing what to do with family planning supplies stockpiled in Europe that campaigners and two U.S. senators are fighting to save from destruction. Concerns that the Trump administration plans to incinerate the stockpile have angered family planning advocates on both sides of the Atlantic. Campaigners say the supplies stored in a U.S.-funded warehouse in Geel, Belgium, include contraceptive pills, contraceptive implants and IUDs that could spare women in war zones and elsewhere the hardship of unwanted pregnancies. U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Tommy Pigott said Thursday in response to a question about the contraceptives that 'we're still in the process here in terms of determining the way forward.' 'When we have an update, we'll provide it,' he said. Belgium says it has been talking with U.S. diplomats about trying to spare the supplies from destruction, including possibly moving them out of the warehouse. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Florinda Baleci told The Associated Press that she couldn't comment further 'to avoid influencing the outcome of the discussions.' The Trump administration's dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, which managed foreign aid programs, left the supplies' fate uncertain. Pigott didn't detail the types of contraceptives that make up the stockpile. He said some of the supplies, bought by the previous administration, could 'potentially be' drugs designed to induce abortions. Pigott didn't detail how that might impact Trump administration thinking about how to deal with the drugs or the entire stockpile. Costing more than US$9 million and funded by U.S taxpayers, the family planning supplies were intended for women in war zones, refugee camps and elsewhere, according to a bipartisan letter of protest to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio from U.S. senators Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, and Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski. They said destroying the stockpile 'would be a waste of U.S. taxpayer dollars as well as an abdication of U.S. global leadership in preventing unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions and maternal deaths — key goals of U.S. foreign assistance.' They urged Rubio to allow another country or partner to distribute the contraceptives. Concerns voiced by European campaigners and lawmakers that the supplies could be transported to France for incineration have led to mounting pressure on government officials to intervene and save them. The executive branch of the European Union, through spokesman Guillaume Mercier, said Friday that 'we continue to monitor the situation closely to explore the most effective solutions.' The U.S. branch of family planning aid group MSI Reproductive Choices said it offered to purchase, repackage and distribute the stock at its own expense but 'these efforts were repeatedly rejected.' The group said the supplies included long-acting IUDs, contraceptive implants and pills, and that they have long shelf-lives, extending as far as 2031. Aid group Doctors Without Borders said incineration would be 'an intentionally reckless and harmful act against women and girls everywhere.' Charles Dallara, the grandson of a French former lawmaker who was a contraception pioneer in France, urged President Emmanuel Macron to not let France 'become an accomplice to this scandal.' 'Do not allow France to take part in the destruction of essential health tools for millions of women,' Dallara wrote in an appeal to the French leader. 'We have a moral and historical responsibility.' ___ Leicester reported from Paris. Matthew Lee contributed from Washington, D.C. Lorne Cook And John Leicester, The Associated Press
CTV News
3 days ago
- CTV News
Novo Nordisk shares extend losses, erasing nearly all gains since Wegovy launch
The weight-loss drug Wegovy is shown in this undated photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/handout, Novo Nordisk Canada Inc. Shares in Novo Nordisk fell as much as six per cent on Friday to their lowest since August 2021, extending recent losses to wipe out almost all the gains made since the drugmaker launched its blockbuster weight-loss treatment Wegovy. The fall comes after U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday sent letters to 17 major pharmaceutical firms, including Novo Nordisk, telling them to cut drug prices in the United States. That prompted share price declines across the sector. Novo Nordisk on Tuesday slashed its forecast for 2025 sales growth due to competition from compounded, or copycat, versions of Wegovy and appointed veteran insider Maziar Mike Doustdar as its new CEO, prompting its shares to fall 23 per cent on the day. Novo became Europe's most valuable listed company following the launch of Wegovy in June 2021. But its shares have plunged by more than two-thirds since peaking last year on concerns the drugmaker is losing ground in the obesity drug race. 'The U.S. healthcare system is complex, but Novo Nordisk will continue to work to find solutions that help people access the medicines they need at affordable prices,' Novo said in an emailed statement. Novo's shares were 4.9 per cent lower at 08:39 GMT. Friday's drop brings this week's losses to more than 30 per cent - the stock's worst-ever weekly fall. The European healthcare index .SXDP was down 1.6 per cent, its lowest since April. 'Trump doesn't have the mandate to tell Novo Nordisk how to price their products in the U.S., but investors are just panicking about the risk of another downgrade,' said Nordnet analyst Per Hansen. The pressure to lower prices adds to Novo's problems in the United States, its biggest market. It faces competition from Eli Lilly LLY.N and from compounders - custom-made medicines that are based on the same ingredients as branded drugs. 'This is a repricing of the obesity market, it's a repricing of the United States as the world's most attractive drug market, and it's a repricing of the risk from Donald Trump,' Hansen said. (Reporting by Anna Pruchnicka, Elviira Luoma, Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Louise Breusch Rasmussen. Editing by Amanda Cooper and Mark Potter)
Canada News.Net
3 days ago
- Canada News.Net
Justin Timberlake diagnosed with Lyme disease during 'Forget Tomorrow World Tour'
Washington DC [US], August 1 (ANI): Singer and actor Justin Timberlake has revealed that he has been diagnosed with Lyme disease and opened up about the struggles he's faced while on his 'Forget Tomorrow World Tour,' reported Variety. The singer posted a bunch of pictures from his tour while detailing his diagnosis to coincide with the conclusion of his global tour. Fans recently noticed that Timberlake appeared sluggish and low-energy during performances on the international leg of the trek, which he suggested was due to the nerve damage and fatigue he experienced from Lyme disease, as per his Instagram post. 'I've been battling some health issues, and was diagnosed with Lyme Disease-which I don't say so you feel bad for me - but to shed some light on what I've been up against behind the scenes. If you've experienced this disease or know someone who has- then you're aware: Living with this can be relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically,' wrote Justin Timberlake. The 'Mirrors' singer described his mindset when he first got diagnosed with Lyme disease, explaining that he contemplated stopping the tour but ultimately decided to continue for the love of performance. 'When I first got the diagnosis, I was shocked for sure. But, at least I could understand why I would be onstage and in a massive amount of nerve pain or, just feeling crazy fatigue or sickness. I was faced with a personal decision. Stop touring? Or, keep going and figure it out. I decided the joy that performing brings me far outweighs the fleeting stress my body was feeling. I'm so glad I kept going,' said Justin Timberlake. The singer further said that he was hesitant to talk about his personal struggles. 'I was reluctant to talk about this because I was always raised to keep something like this to yourself. But I am trying to be more transparent about my struggles so that they aren't misinterpreted. Sharing all of this with the hope that we can all find a way to be more connected. I'd like to do my part to help others experiencing this disease too,' wrote Justin Timberlake.
