Justin Timberlake says he has Lyme disease
"This has been the most fun, emotional, gratifying, physically demanding, and, at times, grueling experience," he said of a tour that was criticized by some fans as lackluster.
"Among other things, 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.
"Living with this can be relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically. 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."
Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria often carried by ticks that live in woodlands throughout North America and Europe.
Symptoms can include widespread pain, fatigue, and muscle weakness. In serious cases, patients could experience damage to the tissues, joints and immune system.
The "Can't Stop The Feeling" singer was in legal hot water last year after being arrested for drunk driving in a small town near New York.
Timberlake, whose tumultuous relationship with Britney Spears was the inspiration for his 2002 smash "Cry Me A River" later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was ordered to do community service.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
Video newscast for the Deaf and Hard-of-hearing
Watch the essential top stories and headlines in video format every day, with clear subtitles and closed-captions for easily accessible information. Every day, France 24's video newscast with closed captions offers you a clear summary of current events in a 100% visual format, without any sound. Designed primarily for deaf or hard-of-hearing people, it also serves anyone who wants to stay up-to-date without audio, wherever they are. Each segment is designed to be immediately understandable, with fluid, readable text that faithfully reflects the content. You'll find the day's key stories: politics, society, culture, international news… This silent format addresses two challenges: making information accessible to audiences with hearing disabilities, and offering a subtle and discreet way to consume news. Wherever you are — on public transport, at work, or at home — you can follow this news program without headphones. The goal: clear, inclusive, and useful information, accessible to everyone. A newscast without sound, but with complete meaning. Designed for you.
Euronews
a day ago
- Euronews
Justin Timberlake reveals Lyme disease diagnosis
Justin Timberlake has been diagnosed with Lyme disease, the popstar announced on Instagram. Timberlake shared the news in a post commemorating his Forget Tomorrow tour, which wrapped in Turkey on Wednesday after more than 120 shows around the world. The singer described the tour, which lasted for over a year, as 'the most fun, emotional, gratifying, physically demanding, and, at times, grueling experience.' He said that living with Lyme disease 'can be relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically', adding that learning about the diagnosis was a shock. The former NSYNC star, who described himself as a private person, wrote he considered ending the tour when diagnosed, but that he 'decided the joy that performing brings me far outweighs the fleeting stress my body was feeling. I'm so glad I kept going.' Lyme disease is transmitted by Ixodes ticks, also known as deer ticks. It can cause flu-like conditions, neurological problems, joint paint and other symptoms. The first sign is often a red, round bull's-eye rash. Untreated Lyme can cause severe arthritis and damage the heart and nervous system. In the vast majority of cases, Lyme disease is successfully treated with antibiotics. 'I honestly don't know what my future is onstage, but I'll always cherish this run! And all of them before! It's been the stuff of legend for me,' Timberlake wrote. Timberlake cancelled and postponed multiple shows throughout the tour's run, citing health issues including bronchitis and laryngitis. Timberlake ultimately cancelled the last show of the US leg of the tour in Ohio due to the flu in February. The 10-time Grammy winner ended the post thanking his wife, Jessica Biel, and their two sons, Silas and Phin, saying 'nothing is more powerful than your unconditional love. You are my heart and my home. I'm on my way.' Many celebrities have spoken up about their experience with Lyme disease in recent years, including comedian Amy Schumer and singers Justin Bieber and Shania Twain. Former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Yolanda Hadid has become a major voice on the issue after she said she was diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease in 2012. She later revealed two of her children, models Bella and Anwar Hadid, suffered from the same illness. There is no scientific consensus over whether a chronic form of Lyme disease actually exists. The US Centers for Disease Control and Privention (CDC) 'discourages use of the term Chronic Lyme Disease' as the cause for prolonged symptoms is not currently known. Hadid released her memoir "Believe Me: My Battle with the Invisible Disability of Lyme Disease" in 2017. 'This disease has brought me and many others to our knees, often wishing to die of utter hopelessness and exhaustion', she said in a speech at the 2016 Global Lyme Alliance Gala in New York. The CDC cites insurance records suggesting 476,000 people are treated for Lyme disease in the US each year.
France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
US theatre and opera director Bob Wilson dies aged 83
Celebrated US director Robert Wilson, who revolutionized stage and opera, died Thursday at the age of 83, his management said. 'Robert Wilson died peacefully today in Water Mill, New York, at the age of 83, after a brief but acute illness,' said a statement issued on his website. It said he worked right up until the end. Wilson's productions of original works as well as traditional repertoire pieces were hugely popular wherever they were shown. But it was in France where he was best known. It was the French who gave him a 'home', Wilson told AFP in 2021. It was in 1976 that Wilson was propelled onto the international stage with 'Einstein on The Beach', a nearly five-hour opera staged several times since its creation, with music by Philip Glass. 'Einstein on the Beach' broke all the conventions of classical opera—there is no linear narrative but rather it draws on themes related to Einstein's life. It does not aim to explain the theory of relativity but to convey the upheaval introduced by the notion of space-time, notably through dance. Wilson's trademarks included minimalist aesthetics, body language influenced by Asian theatrical forms, and lighting effects evoking dreamlike worlds. Avant-garde admiration His love affair with France began with 'Deafman Glance' ('Le Regard du Sourd') — his first success—a 'silent' seven-hour show presented at the Nancy Festival in 1971, and later in Paris. The show was born out of a real-world incident when in 1967, Wilson saw a 13-year-old Black teenager, Raymond Andrews, being beaten in the street by a police officer. He realised the child was deaf and mute and eventually adopted him. Wilson, also a visual artist, had a string of collaborations including with choreographer Andy de Groat, Tom Waits, Isabelle Huppert for 'Orlando' by Virginia Woolf, Lady Gaga for video portraits of her at the Louvre, and ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov. 'While facing his diagnosis with clear eyes and determination, he still felt compelled to keep working and creating right up until the very end,' the website piece announcing his death said. 'His works for the stage, on paper, sculptures and video portraits, as well as The Watermill Center, will endure as Robert Wilson's artistic legacy.' Memorials will be held for Wilson at time and locations yet to be announced. Born to a lawyer in October 4, 1941, in Waco, Texas, Wilson was performing his own plays in the family garage by the age of 12, but recalls being bottom of the class at school. He was cured of a severe stutter thanks to a psychotherapist who worked with dance. In his twenties, he landed in New York but hated what he saw in theatres and instinctively gravitated toward the American avant-garde: Andy Warhol, John Cage, choreographers George Balanchine, and especially Martha Graham. He relished nurturing emerging talent, and in 1992, created the Watermill Center near New York.
