Dr. Dre’s brain aneurysm in January 2021 almost took his life, the Hip Hop producer revealed in a new interview. Dre, who was rushed to the hospital following the near-death health threat, appeared on Dolvett Quince’s “Workout the Doubt” podcast to recount what a horrific experience it was when he was told the chances of him surviving were very slim.
A brain aneurysm is when a bulge or ballooning forms in the blood vessel in the brain, which in many cases can lead to rupture and heavy bleeding. And while Dr. Dre was lucky enough to beat the odds and make a speedy recovery, he does recall the moment his family was invited to his hospital room to say their final goodbyes because doctors believed the “Still D.R.E.” hitmaker wouldn’t pull through.
“If I hadn’t met Em or we hadn’t linked up, he would have eventually become a success anyway, because he’s so talented. I was just fortunate enough to meet him first and open the door for him.” – Dr. Dre pic.twitter.com/3PEmbfF0fY
— ًً (@hourlyslimshady) August 18, 2022
“I’m at Cedars Sinai hospital and they weren’t allowing anybody to come up, meaning visitors or family or anything like that, because of COVID, but they allowed my family to come in,” he shared. “I found out later, they called them up so they could say their last goodbyes because they thought I was outta here.”
The 57-year-old said he wasn’t aware that the brain aneurysm he had suffered from was as severe as doctors made it seem, particularly after his family had been ushered to his room in case they wouldn’t see him again. “I didn’t know it was that serious, you know? Seeing my mom and my sister and everybody coming in the room. Nobody told me, I had no idea. That was crazy.”
Every hour, Dr. Dre said he had to be examined by nurses during his two-week stint in the hospital. Their reason: His brain needed to be monitored to make sure it was still functioning properly, so they would ask him questions to answer and request him to perform slight physical moves during their tests.
Dr. Dre had a brain aneurysm a little over a year ago and today he crushed the SB Halftime show. My heart is full 💕
— Lauren (@LaurenC30) February 14, 2022
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“Basically looking like sobriety tests, like touch your nose, rub your heel on your calf and all that s**t,” he remembered. “So every hour for two weeks, I had to wake up and do that. [I was] tired. As soon as they’d leave I would try to go to sleep because I knew they’d be coming back in the next hour.”
A year after his near-death experience, Dr. Dre made quite the comeback when he took to the stage at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in February, alongside Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, and Mary J. Blige, with special guest 50 Cent.