Legendary R&B Singer K-Ci Hospitalized: Jodeci Cancels Tour Dates

Fans waiting to see Jodeci may have to wait. One of the R&B group’s frontrunner’s, K-Ci, has been hospitalized. As a result, the group has canceled several tour dates. 

TMZ reports he’s been admitted with pneumonia. Out of precaution, the group came to the decision to cancel some dates.

K-Ci’s manager Michael Paran tells TMZ he was hospitalized for pneumonia and has since been released and is at home resting with antibiotics but any immediate dates would not be honored. In the meantime, dates would be scheduled later. 

The group was slated to hit the stage for a Valentine’s Day romp in Brooklyn at Kings Theatre, and another show in Connecticut. But his health is taking priority. 

Born Cedric Renard Hailey, he’s had both success with the group while signed to Uptown Records in the early 1990s as pioneers of merging R&B vocals over hip hop beats. Disgraced hip hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs helped to curate their style and image. Along with his brother Jo-Jo, he branched out into a subgroup, K-Ci & Jo-Jo, spawning hits like “All My Life.”

K-Ci famously dated fellow singer and label mate, Mary J. Blige, from 1992 to 1997. After denying their romance on national television, coupled with an alleged abusive and drug-filled time together, she ended things for good. 

The Hailey brothers have several famous family members. They are cousins of  American Idol winner Fantasia, Dave Hollister, Calvin Richardson, and Stephanie Mills.

He’s had multiple controversies in his career. In 2010, he opened up about his addiction struggles in an interview with VIBE Magazine. He quickly earned a reputation for being an unreliable alcoholic.  

“It was getting back to us and of course we would hear things and see things on the Internet but sometimes you don’t want to believe what you hear and what you see because it’s you,” he said of his reputation as it related to his alcoholism. “Our manager told us it was harder to get work so we knew. And for me, one day I woke up and I just knew it was time to make a change.”