Chaka Khan has revealed she is entering rehab to help deal with "a dependence on prescription pain medication", and will therefore have to miss some upcoming concert dates. The 63-year-old singer said in a statement that the death of her good friend Prince had prompted her to seek help, revealing that she had been "battling an addiction to the same medication that led to Prince's death".
"Unfortunately, I will miss concert appearances over the summer," the star said in a statement. "However, it is vital that I put my health and well-being first. I know that I am disappointing some of my fans, but I also know they would want me to recover and be well and healthy."
Chaka Khan has entered rehab to deal with an addiction to prescription pain medication
The 10-time Grammy winner – born Yvette Marie Stevens – has voluntarily entered the intensive rehabilitation and aftercare programme with her sister, Yvonne Stevens, also known as Taka Boom.
She said that the pair had "agreed we would take this journey together and support each other through the recovery".
"The tragic death of Prince has had us both rethinking and re-evaluating our lives and priorities," she said. "We knew it was time to take action to save our lives. My sister and I would like to thank everyone for their support, love and prayers."
The star was a life-long friend of Prince, who passed away in April
One of Chaka's biggest hits was the 1984 hit I Feel For You, a cover of the Prince song, and the pair were life-long friends. He passed away in April from an accidental overdose of the painkiller fentanyl.
Chaka had been scheduled to play several dates in the US in July, and will resume her tour on 1 August.
