*Here’s an UPdate to our report on the death of Grammy winning singer Natalie Cole.
When the Electronic Urban Report/EUR first reported the death of Cole, the cause wasn’t known. Now we know.
Cole’s family said the singer’s cause of death was idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, which led to heart failure.
Her family said in a statement to The Associated Press on Thursday (01-07-16) that after Cole received a kidney transplant in 2009, she was diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension, a rare lung disease that causes shortness of breath, dizziness and sometimes chest pain. Because Cole’s case was idiopathic, the exact cause is unknown.
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The statement read: “(Cole) responded well to pulmonary arterial hypertension-specific agents over many years, during which she performed many concerts world-wide, but eventually succumbed to intractable right heart failure, an outcome that unfortunately commonly occurs in this progressive disorder.”
“I love you all” were Natalie’s last words to her younger twin sisters – Casey and Timolin Cole – who were by her side in her last days and reveal “we’re suffering but she’s at peace,” reports the Daily Mail.
The singer and songwriter, best known for her performances of songs such as “Inseparable,” “Pink Cadillac” and “Unforgettable,” was the daughter of the singers Nat King Cole and Maria Hawkins Cole. She was recently struggling with health issues, which resulted in her canceling some tours, according to TMZ, which was first to report the news of her death.
Cole struggled with drug addiction in the 1980s and learned in 2008 that she had hepatitis C.
“I was a heroin addict, sharing needles with the crowd I was with,” she told People magazine in 2008. “At the time, I was having fun. I didn’t know. Then, 25 years later after a routine blood test, my doctor tells me, ‘You have hepatitis C.’ My life crumbled before my eyes. I never had symptoms. I didn’t know anything about it. Would I still have a career? Was I going to die? How long did I have? I was devastated. I had to let it sink in for six weeks while they ran more tests.”
On December 31 Cole died at the age of 65 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California
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The singer ended up receiving chemotherapy and taking an antiviral drug called Ribavirin. However, she also had issues with kidney failure. In 2009, she received a kidney transplant from an organ donor, a deceased fan.
Cole’s health issues hadn’t made headlines in recent years, but SFGate reported in October that she had canceled all her November and December tour dates after a medical procedure required an “extended hospital stay.”
Here’s a smattering of messages and thoughts from various celebs about Natalie Cole:
@ArsenioHall bless
— antonnewcombe (@antonnewcombe) January 1, 2016
@itstonybennett The Music World has lost a Golden Voice… So sorry for YOUR loss… AND Ours. #RIPNatalieCole pic.twitter.com/EcabY4VsXI — ♫♪ iShowTunes ♪♫ (@iShowTunes) January 1, 2016
I am so sad to hear about Natalie Cole’s passing. I feel she has always been apart of my life in… https://t.co/bbmQGfkGwe
— Jordin Sparks (@JordinSparks) January 1, 2016
What a shock to hear of this dear sister Natalie’s passing.?One thing I KNOW, She’s w/ GOD in heaven! #❤️always pic.twitter.com/jEd8pduBrA — Pebbles (@pebbles2day) January 1, 2016
Noo! Just heard the news that #NatalieCole just past away!! She was a beautiful lady with an amazing voice! #RIP #Unforgettable
— Vivica A. Fox (@MsVivicaFox) January 1, 2016
My heart is full today Natalie Cole died today… Rest in Peace my friend? — Beverly Johnson (@BeverlyJohnson1) January 1, 2016
Natalie Cole is survived by her son, Robert Yancey, from her first marriage to music producer Marvin Yancey.
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