Ray J Says He Has Months to Live Due to Heart Issues: ‘I F—ed Up’ and ‘2027 Is Definitely a Wrap for Me’

In a series of raw and unfiltered posts, musician and television figure Ray J has shared alarming news about his physical condition. The artist, born William Ray Norwood Jr., was hospitalized for severe pneumonia, leading to a diagnosis that his heart is functioning at only about 25% of its normal capacity. He expressed a determined hope for recovery in a January 25th video, assuring fans that maintaining focus would lead to a positive outcome.

A subsequent, emotionally charged Instagram Live broadcast presented a much grimmer prognosis. The 45-year-old stated that doctors have given him merely months to live, bleakly declaring 2027 to be out of reach. He attributed the critical state of his heart, which he described as discolored and "done," directly to past substance abuse, confessing he overestimated his ability to manage alcohol, Adderall, and other drugs. Addiction experts often note that such public, stark admissions can be a pivotal first step toward seeking comprehensive treatment that addresses both the psychological roots of dependency and its severe physical repercussions.

Ray J initially found fame in the late 1990s with his hit R&B song "One Wish," but his public persona evolved significantly in the following decade. He became a mainstay on reality TV, notably on VH1's "Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood." His notoriety was cemented by a 2007 scandal involving a leaked private video with then-partner Kim Kardashian—an event widely analyzed as the catalyst that launched the Kardashian-Jenner empire into stratospheric fame and reshaped modern celebrity culture.

Despite the dire health update, Ray J discussed plans for a spiritual journey to Haiti and thanked his sister, the acclaimed singer and actor Brandy, for covering his recent medical expenses. This hospitalization comes after a tumultuous period marked by legal issues. In November, he was arrested on a criminal threat charge following a dispute where he allegedly threatened his ex-wife with a gun. Additionally, he remains locked in a long-running legal feud with Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner concerning the terms of a past settlement related to the 2007 video, a conflict that underscores the enduring and complex fallout from that early-career controversy.