Pop singer Lovato stable after reported drug overdose
Demi Lovato, the Grammynominated pop singer known for her big voice and confessional nature, was rushed to a Los Angeles area hospital Tuesday afternoon after experiencing what the authorities said was a drug overdose, according to reports.
Representatives for the Los Angeles Police and Fire departments said that officers responded just before noon local time to a medical emergency in the Hollywood Hills. Paramedics transported a 25-year-old woman in stable condition to the hospital, a Fire Department spokesman said, though the authorities declined to identify the person.
TMZ and NBC News reported that the patient was Lovato, 25, who has frequently discussed her struggles with substance abuse in both music and interviews.
Kerissa Webb Dunn, an aunt of Lovato, wrote on Facebook: “PLEASE PLEASE pray for my sweet niece DEMI LOVATO. She has been hospitalized and needs everyone’s prayers desperately !!!! PLEASE PRAY she pulls through.” She added later that Lovato was “awake and responsive.”
Citing the concert promoter Live Nation, a representative for the Atlantic City Beach, N.J., venue where Lovato was scheduled to perform Thursday told The Press of Atlantic City that the singer would not appear. Fox said in a statement that an episode of the game show Beat Shazam that was scheduled to feature an appearance by Lovato on Tuesday had been postponed.
A representative of Lovato’s said in a statement on Tuesday night: “Demi is awake and with her family who want to express thanks to everyone for the love, prayers and support. Some of the information being reported is incorrect and they respectfully ask for privacy and not speculation as her health and recovery is the most important thing right now.”
Lovato, a former child star who appeared on Barney & Friends and Disney’s Camp Rock films before taking off as a recording artist, released a song called Sober last month, detailing her recent relapse after six years of sobriety. “Mama, I’m so sorry I’m not sober anymore/And Daddy, please forgive me for the drinks spilled on the floor,” she belts on the tearjerking track. “I’m sorry for the fans I lost who watched me fall again/I want to be a role model, but I’m only human.”
As the song comes to an end, Lovato adds: “I promise I’ll get help/It wasn’t my intention/I’m sorry to myself.”
Lovato released her debut album, the pop-rock Don’t Forget, on Disney’s Hollywood Records in 2008. As a peer of the Disney Channel stars Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers, she initially courted a young audience with wholesome, family-friendly music before turning to a more adult sound on her third album, Unbroken, in 2011. That year, the vulnerable power ballad Skyscraper reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum.
I’M SORRY FOR THE FANS I LOST WHO WATCHED ME FALL AGAIN/ I WANT TO BE A ROLE MODEL, BUT I’M ONLY HUMAN — DEMI LOVATO