August Alsina has given glimpses of his health issues in the past, but for the first time, he opened up about a deadly disease he’s been battling in an interview with good friend Jada Pinkett Smith.
The “Wait” singer made headlines in 2014 when he collapsed, fell off a stage and slipped into a three-day coma, and again in 2015, when he told fans he was losing his eyesight. He has since been steadily performing and releasing music, announcing in January that he’s planning the release of his third album, “Drugs.”
But Alsina has been dealing with liver disease the entire time.
“My autoimmune system is fighting against itself,” Alsina tells Pinkett Smith, whom he’s been endeared to for years as a virtual family member, in the Tuesday, May 30 clip. “The reality is that I’m sick all the time.”
Alsina revealed on Instagram that he was having difficulty accepting his illness and information from doctors and he learned the illness is genetic. Liver disease comes in many different forms and can cause blurred vision in patients, according to England’s National Health Service.
“I don’t really like to talk about it because I’m not looking for anybody’s sympathy,” he says. “And don’t treat me like I’m a f—— cancer patient, ’cause I’m not.”
