TLC’s Chilli gave fans an update on fellow member T-Boz’s sickle cell disease complications after her absence from several shows.
During an Oct. 9 tour stop alongside En Vogue and Salt-N-Pepa for the “It’s Iconic” Tour, Chili brought up T-Boz’s condition to explain her absence from multiple shows.
“Some of you may not know that my group member, T-Boz, has sickle cell disease,” Chili said. “Sometimes, you have a crisis, and she did this time. She’s taking the very necessary time she needs to get back to 100 percent.”
“I’m going to continue to hold it down for my sister,” Chili added. “Tonight, I’m going to ask each and every one of you to help me hold it down for her.”
Fans first noticed that T-Boz was absent from an Aug. 28th show in Connecticut. Days later, TLC’s manager, Bill Diggins, revealed publicly that T-Boz had to be hospitalized because of sickle cell.
“When she experiences a sickle cell crisis, the recovery period can vary and may take days or weeks,” Diggins said in a statement. “Her health and recovery remain our highest priority. Tionne looks forward to returning to the tour when she is fully recovered and medically cleared to perform.”
T-Boz has dealt with sickle cell anemia since she was born. She previously revealed on Good Morning America that she wasn’t expected to have a long life expectancy, but has made it far past that.
“I was told at 7 years old I would never live past 30,” she said. “I would be disabled my whole life and never have kids. But I traveled the world in TLC. I’ve worked with Michael Jackson.”
There’s one show left on the “It’s Iconic” Tour, Concord, California, at the Toyota Pavilion on Oct. 11. There’s no word on whether T-Boz will perform there yet.
