The music community is sending up prayers for TLC’s superstar, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins. She is recovering after a sickle cell crisis required hospitalization and temporarily forced her off the stage.
The 56-year-old TLC singer had been performing on the “It’s Iconic” tour with longtime groupmate Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas, alongside Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue. During a recent concert, however, Chilli appeared without Watkins and asked the audience to help support her bandmate through another serious health challenge.
A representative for Watkins later confirmed that the singer had experienced a sickle cell crisis and was hospitalized. She is now said to be recovering and rebuilding her strength.
Because the tour depends heavily on audience participation, organizers decided to continue the performances with Chilli. Fans have reportedly helped fill the absence by singing T-Boz’s parts, offering prayers and showing their support for the Grammy-winning performer.
For Watkins, the medical emergency is the latest chapter in a lifelong battle with sickle cell disease—one that has repeatedly tested her health without stopping her from building an extraordinary career.
Watkins was diagnosed with sickle cell disease at age 7. She has previously said doctors warned her that she might not live past 30 and could face difficulties having children.
She defied both predictions.
As TLC rose to international fame with hits including “Waterfalls,” “Creep” and “No Scrubs,” Watkins was often balancing performances, recording sessions and travel with pain, fatigue and hospital stays. In 1996, she began speaking publicly about the disease, helping bring greater visibility to a condition that disproportionately affects Black Americans.
Her health challenges intensified after the birth of her daughter, Chase, in 2000. Watkins has said she became seriously ill and fell into a coma after giving birth. Nevertheless, she recovered and continued performing.
Sickle cell disease has not been Watkins’ only serious medical challenge.
In 2006, she was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma, a rare, typically noncancerous tumor that develops on the nerve involved in hearing and balance. Because sickle cell disease increased the risks associated with surgery, several doctors reportedly declined to perform the operation.
Watkins eventually found a surgeon willing to remove the tumor. The procedure saved her life but left her with lingering effects, including hearing and balance problems.
She faced another medical emergency in August 2024, when TLC canceled performances after she developed severe nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Doctors diagnosed an intestinal blockage that Watkins said was caused by scar tissue from an abdominal surgery performed decades earlier—not food poisoning, constipation or the weight-loss medication Ozempic, as some people speculated online.
That distinction is important: Not every health problem experienced by someone with sickle cell disease is necessarily caused by the condition.
Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder affecting hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body.
Healthy red blood cells are round and flexible, allowing them to move easily through blood vessels. In people with sickle cell disease, some cells become rigid, sticky and shaped like a crescent or sickle. These cells can break apart prematurely, causing anemia, or become trapped in small blood vessels.
A sickle cell crisis—also called a vaso-occlusive crisis—occurs when sickled cells obstruct blood flow and reduce the delivery of oxygen to tissues. This can cause sudden, severe pain, frequently in the chest, back, arms, legs or abdomen. The pain may last for several hours or continue for days.
Possible triggers include dehydration, infection, emotional or physical stress, extreme temperatures, low oxygen levels and strenuous exertion. Air travel, high altitudes and the physical demands of touring may also require additional precautions, although the specific trigger for Watkins’ latest crisis has not been disclosed.
A crisis can sometimes lead to life-threatening complications, including:
Chest pain, difficulty breathing, a fever of 101 degrees or higher, sudden weakness, confusion, severe headache, vision changes or pain that cannot be controlled at home require immediate medical attention.
Treatment depends on the severity of the crisis and whether complications are present. A mild episode may sometimes be managed at home under an established treatment plan, but severe pain or other concerning symptoms often require emergency care or hospitalization.
Treatment may include:
Long-term medications such as hydroxyurea can reduce the frequency of pain crises and acute chest syndrome in many patients. Regular blood transfusions may be recommended for some people at high risk of stroke or other complications.
A stem-cell or bone-marrow transplant can potentially cure the disease in carefully selected patients. The FDA has also approved gene therapies for certain people ages 12 and older with severe sickle cell disease, although these treatments are complex and not appropriate or accessible for everyone. Care should be individualized by a hematologist or sickle cell specialist.
Sickle cell disease can affect people of any racial or ethnic background, but it disproportionately affects Black Americans. The genetic variation associated with sickle cell offered some protection against severe malaria, which helps explain why it is more common among people whose ancestors came from regions where malaria has historically been widespread.
According to the CDC, sickle cell disease occurs in approximately 1 out of every 365 Black or African American births. About 1 in 13 Black babies is born with sickle cell trait.
Having sickle cell trait is not the same as having sickle cell disease. People with the trait usually do not experience the disease’s chronic symptoms, but they can pass the gene to their children. If both biological parents carry sickle cell trait, each pregnancy has a 25 percent chance of resulting in a child with sickle cell disease.
Despite its impact on the Black community, patients have historically faced gaps in research funding, access to specialists and pain management. Some patients also report that their pain is minimized or that they are unfairly viewed as seeking drugs when they arrive at emergency departments during a crisis. Delayed treatment can prolong suffering and increase the danger of complications.
Watkins has used her platform for decades to raise awareness about sickle cell disease, encourage blood and bone-marrow donations and challenge outdated assumptions about what people with chronic illnesses can accomplish.
Her latest hospitalization is a reminder that sickle cell disease remains serious and unpredictable—even when someone appears active, successful and healthy in public.
For now, Chilli and the other performers are keeping the tour moving while audiences continue to send their support. Watkins’ return date has not been announced, but her representatives say she is focused on recovery and regaining her strength.
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