Tamia at 50: Life After Multiple Sclerosis

(Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images for BET)

Tamia can sing…like really “sang.” Hands down. The six-time Grammy nominee is best known for her first Top 40 hit on the R&B charts “You Put a Move on My Heart”, her 2001 hit “Stranger in My House”, Fabolous’ 2003 hit “Into You” (which samples her 1998 song “So into You”), and her 2012 hit “Beautiful Surprise.”

Legendary music producer icon Quincy Jones introduced U.S. audiences to the Canadian-born songstress via two tracks on his 1995 album Q’s Jook Joint. The singer’s breakthrough hit “You Put a Move on My Heart” and “Slow Jams,” which also featured Jones, Babyface, Portrait and Barry White were instant hits. Both tunes, as well as her guest stint on “Missing You” from the Set It Off film soundtrack, netted Tamia her first three Grammy nominations for best female R&B vocal performance, best performance by a duo or group with vocals and best pop collaboration with vocals, respectively. And all before she released her self-titled debut album in 1998. Tamia added a No. 1 R&B/top 10 pop hit to her catalog a year later with her duet with Benét on his single “Spend My Life with You”—which also garnered her a fourth Grammy nod. Since then, in addition to her aforementioned hits, Tamia has recorded five studio albums: A Nu Day, More, Between Friends, Beautiful Surprise and Love Life. While Beautiful Surprise brought her total Grammy nominations up to six, including best R&B album, Love Life’s No. 1 debut on Billboard’s R&B tally became her highest-charting album to date. Another top 10 hit at urban AC, her latest single “Leave It Smokin’” set the alarm for Passion Like Fire, Tamia’s seventh studio album released in 2018 by 21 Entertainment Group/Plus 1 Music Group/Entertainment One.

From the moment she started singing, Tamia went on to make several albums, got married to NBA star Grant Hill and had children.  She was living the good life, touring and making a home by being a wife and mother.

But she and hubby Grant revealed later in 2003 that she had a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). At first, Tamia didn’t want to tell anyone that she had MS, because she wasn’t sure what it was.

When she did find out what it was and that it wasn’t a “death” sentence, she came forward to let everyone know. She wanted people to know that she was managing her symptoms and that having MS is not a sign of weakness. Their first child, Myla Grace Hill was born in 2002. Lael Rose Hill was born five years later. The young mom didn’t have any problems with her pregnancies. Multiple sclerosis seems to slow down and ease the symptoms during pregnancies. It may have something to do with the higher hormone levels women have during pregnancy.

“I’m not shy or ashamed to talk about MS, I’m currently in remission,” Tamia said “I’m just thankful and blessed that I can still do the things I love to do, a wife, mom, singer, performer, and a business woman.”

Tamia first felt the symptoms of MS around the same time Grant was dealing with a knee injury. She rushed him to the hospital with an infection. While he was recovering she began feeling more tired than normal.

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She was also feeling numbness in her legs and other parts of her body. The tables were turned and now Grant was taking her to the hospital. Doctors first thought the numbness was from a pinched nerve and gave her muscle relaxants.

Multiple Sclerosis & Black Women: What’s the Deal?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is more common in Black women than in white women, according to research. While MS affects all genders and ethnicities, studies show that Black women have a higher incidence of the disease compared to white women, according to Kaiser Permanente.

Riska for Black Women

• Higher Incidence: Black women have a higher risk of MS than white women.
• Under-diagnosis: There’s a history of underdiagnosis and undertreatment of MS in Black individuals, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
• Potential for Aggressive Disease Course: Research suggests that Black individuals with MS may experience a more aggressive disease course and greater disability, according to the Ohio State University.
• Importance of Research: More research is needed to understand the specific factors contributing to the higher incidence and potentially more aggressive disease course in Black women with MS, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
• Impact of MS: The impact of MS on individuals and communities can be significant, affecting physical, mental, and social well-being, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms

With MS, People may experience:


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• Pain areas: in the back or eyes
• Pain circumstances: can occur in the back due to head nod or with eye movement
• Tremor: can occur during precise movements, in the hands, or limbs
• Muscular: cramping, inability to rapidly change motions, involuntary movements, muscle paralysis, muscle rigidity, muscle weakness, problems with coordination, stiff muscles, clumsiness, muscle spasms, or overactive reflexes
• Whole body: fatigue, dizziness, heat intolerance, poor balance, vertigo, or weakness
• Sensory: pins and needles, abnormality of taste, reduced sensation of touch, or uncomfortable tingling and burning
• Urinary: excessive urination at night, leaking of urine, persistent urge to urinate, or urinary retention
• Visual: blurred vision, double vision, or vision loss
• Sexual: erectile dysfunction or sexual dysfunction
• Mood: anxiety or mood swings
• Speech: slurred speech or impaired voice

Other common symptoms are: constipation, depression, difficulty swallowing, difficulty thinking and understanding, flare, headache, heavy legs, limping, numbness of face, rapid involuntary eye movement, sleep deprivation, tongue numbness, or difficulty raising the foot.


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Tamia is Now a Doctor!

Tamia was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Morris Brown College, an HBCU located in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2023.

“Yesterday was the culmination of an incredible month in the realm of higher education for our family,” Tamia wrote in an Instagram caption on Sunday morning. “I was fortunate to receive an honorary doctorate in music from @morrisbrownatl at yesterday’s commencement ceremony. Thank you @drkevinjames and the entire @morrisbrownatl community for this incredible recognition.”



In a separate Instagram post, Morris Brown’s president Dr. Kevin James, wrote, “I am so proud of our Morris Brown College 2023 graduating class! I am also thankful for the powerful words of our commencement speaker Nzinga Shaw! Also proud to confer an honorary doctorate on Nzinga as well as Tamia!”

What’s Next for Tamia?

Tamia takes an injection every other day and manages the symptoms. She has great support from her husband, Grant and other family members. The constants in her life, family, faith, and music, keep her going from day to day. She knows there’s no cure yet, but she refuses to stop performing, in spite of having MS.