Singer Kelly Price says she medically ‘died’ during COVID battle but was never actually missing
Nine-time Grammy nominee Kelly Price said she was never in danger after being reported missing this month — and claimed she was considered medically dead after contracting COVID-19 — in an emotional new interview.
Price, 48, told TMZ she was recently hospitalized more than a week after her battle with the virus began, and said of her doctors, “at some point, they lost me.”
“I died,” Price said in a video published Sunday night. “And the next thing, it was some days later, I remember waking up in ICU and the doctor asking me if I remembered what year it was.”
Officials in Cobb County, Ga., classified Price as a missing person following a welfare check at her home on Sept. 18, according to TMZ.
The Queens-born Price told the outlet, however, that she was “never missing,” contending she was at her home.
“Everyone in my family knew exactly where I was and I have to say that it’s really disappointing that things came to this, but it was not true,” Price said.
The gospel artist said she was discharged from the hospital with oxygen because the medical center needed beds, and said she has a road to recovery ahead of her before she’ll feel concert-ready again.
“I have what is called long COVID, and I am facing a very uphill battle right now. ... I have a lot of rehabbing to do,” Price said. “I suffered a lot of internal damage.”
An attorney for Price would not disclose to TMZ whether Price is vaccinated against COVID-19. The attorney previously said Price was safe after being reported missing.
