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Luther Vandross released from intensive care
Sources close to Luther Vandross , who had been undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York since suffering a serious stroke on April 16, say that the soul singer's health is rebounding.
"I am happy to report that Luther Vandross continues to improve and that he is more and more responsive each day," Carman Romano, Vandross' longtime friend and business manager, said in a statement issued on Thursday (6/12). "Perhaps most significantly, he is no longer in the intensive care unit. I feel as though I am watching a modern day miracle."
Vandross' mother recently told the Associated Press that Vandross--whom doctors termed "minimally responsive" for several weeks after he suffered the stroke--is now able to breathe on his own, mouth a few words and move his head. He reportedly is undergoing light physical therapy.
Despite his condition, J Records went ahead with the release of Vandross' new album, "Dance with My Father," on Tuesday (6/10).
Vandross has suffered from hypertension and diabetes in the past, and his weight has fluctuated greatly over the years. At one point, he weighed in at more than 330 pounds. He appeared trim in 2001, when his latest album--a million-selling self-titled release--hit stores. In recent interviews, Vandross' mother said that the singer recently gained back the weight he had lost.
One of the most successful R&B singer-songwriter-producers of the '80s, Vandross is best known for his romantic ballads. Among his hits were "Never Too Much," "Here and Now," "A House Is Not a Home," "Any Love," and "Power of Love/Love Power."
