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17 Jan 2026 13:33
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  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Ray J has reportedly been hospitalised with a severe case of pneumonia

    According to TMZ, the 44-year-old R+B singer was admitted to a Las Vegas hospital on Tuesday (06.01.26) after experiencing pneumonia and heart pain.


    Ray J reportedly remains in hospital where he has received X-rays and an echocardiogram, though the results of these tests are currently unknown.

    The outlet noted Ray J - whose real name is William Ray Norwood Jr., - had previously suffered from the illness, having been hospitalised with pneumonia in 2021.

    At the time, it was reported the singer believed his life could be at risk.

    Ray J's condition left him needing to be put on oxygen and temporarily required him to use an inhaler, but the singer later recovered.

    The news comes just weeks after Ray J shared a concerning update with fans while filming a new show, Celebrity Hitchhiker, during which he documented travelling alone across the U.S.

    In an Instagram post, Ray J wrote: "I'm hitchhiking right now to try to get a place to stay tonight.

    "Hopefully I can meet a new family, and it can take me in and teach me about their rules and their goals and life, and then send me on my way to the next destination."

    Filming in Tampa, Florida, Ray J said he was hoping to make it back to Los Angeles in time for Christmas and admitted he was struggling while on the road.

    He explained: "I need some food and I need shelter. Just a lot of s*** that's happened. And I just wanna get back home and see my kids.

    "It's a hitchhiking show, but it's real though at the same time, and I wanna make it really authentic. I just do it for real on my phone. I mean, I have a camera in there too, but it's just me."

    Ray J's hospitalisation also follows a turbulent period in his personal life.

    On Thanksgiving Day (27.11.25) last year, he was arrested after allegedly making threats towards his estranged wife, Princess Love, 41, during an Instagram Live.

    During the broadcast, Ray J was heard saying: "Y'all wanna drive drunk? Y'all wanna drive drunk? Drive drunk. Drive drunk, Princess," after which Love responded, "Ray, you just pointed a gun -."

    She later called him "a woman abuser".

    Ray J was released from jail the same day, with TMZ reporting that no charges were ultimately pursued.

    He later claimed he almost became involved in a fight with another inmate while in custody.

    The former couple - who married in 2016 - have daughter Melody Love, seven, and son Epik Ray, six, and have filed for divorce multiple times after starring together on Love and Hip Hop: Hollywood.

    Days before the Thanksgiving incident, Ray J was also sued by American Express over an alleged unpaid credit card balance of $139,849.85, which he is yet to publicly address.

    © 2026 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

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