Ray J says heart is ‘only beating 25 percent’ after near-fatal medical ordeal

‘One Wish’ singer said he ‘almost died’ after being admitted to hospital for pneumonia

Ray J has said his heart is only “beating at 25 percent” after his recent near-fatal hospitalization.

Earlier this month, the musician was rushed to a Las Vegas emergency room after experiencing heart pains and a severe case of pneumonia.

The 45-year-old “Sexy Can I” singer, whose real name is William Ray Norwood Jr., shared an update after returning home over the weekend, telling fans: “My heart's only beating 25 percent, but as long as I stay focused and stay on the right path, everything will be all right.”

“My health is not OK, so I thank everybody for supporting and praying for me through everything I've been in the hospital.”

He also thanked fans for their support throughout his medical ordeal, captioning the post: “Just almost died!! I’m alive because of your prayers.”

Ray J told fans in an Instagram update that he ‘almost died’ after recent medical emergency (Instagram via @rayj)

Ray J admitted his ‘health is not OK’ as his heart is operating at ‘25 percent’ (Getty)

He extended thanks to his older sister, the “Boy Is Mine” singer Brandy, as well as Love Cabin castmate Shila Hasanoff, who Ray J said was “sitting in the f***ing hospital, just watching me be sick.”

“There’s a few people that's helped me kind of survive this,” he continued. “I love you, Sheila.”

Ray J has dealt with pneumonia before, having sought treatment for the lung infection in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I thought it was over,” he told TMZ at the time, explaining how he shared a hospital wing with COVID-19 patients despite testing negative for the virus. “I started praying and knew God is good, so I just kept praying.”

The Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood star has been dealing with his health issues as he divorces his on-again, off-again ex, Princess Love, with whom he shares daughter Melody, seven, and son Epik, 6. The pair married in 2016 and have since filed for divorce four times, most recently in February 2024.

Ray J, the younger brother of R&B star Brandy and cousin of Snoop Dogg, dated reality TV star Kim Kardashian for around three years in the early 2000s. In 2007, a sex tape showing the couple was infamously leaked online.

In 2022, the singer made headlines when he claimed that Kardashian and her mother, Kris, had planned the tape’s leak together.

Ray J and his ex-wife Princess Love pictured in 2022 (Getty Images for BET)

In October last year, Kardashian and Jenner sued Ray J for defamation after he claimed that racketeering charges against the famous family “would be appropriate” in a documentary about Sean “Diddy” Combs.

The singer filed a countersuit claiming that Kardashian and Jenner “spent two decades peddling the false story that the sex tape... was leaked against her will.” He further argued that Kardashian and Jenner’s lawsuit stems from their anger that he “no longer wants to play along with their tall tale.”

The lawsuit states that Ray J signed a deal with Kardashian and Jenner to ensure the sex tape would not be mentioned again on their reality show The Kardashians. He claims the agreement was violated, and that he is entitled to $1 million in damages.

In response to the lawsuit, Kardashian and Jenner’s lawyer Alex Spiro told TMZ: “After realizing he is losing the case and losing his way, this disjointed rambling distraction is not intimidating anyone. Ray J will lose this frivolous case too.”