This is exactly why black folks need to make more regular visits to the doctor.
Blues legend Etta James was hospitalized in Riverside earlier this week with infections of the blood and the urinary tract, one of her sons said Friday.
“It was a really bad infection,” Sametto James said. “Right now she’s doing a lot better.”
The 73-year-old singer, who is also battling dementia and leukemia, was also hospitalized in January 2010 for sepsis and a UTI. She’s expected to stay hospitalized until her infections are cleared, Sametto told the Riverside Press-Enterprise.
James’ sons and her husband of 41 years, Artis Mills, are battling in court over control of the singer’s money. Mills has petitioned to have her savings transferred into his name so he can pay for the round-the-clock care she receives at their Riverside-area home, saying his wife wasn’t of sound mind when she gave power of attorney to son Donte.
Donte James didn’t object to the release of money for her care, but asked that it be overseen by a third party “to avoid present and future family conflict and discrepancies,” the Press-Enterprise reported.
After ordering $60,000 to be released in January for her care, according to L.A. Now, a judge in February requested an independent evaluation of her health.
Three-time Grammy winner James is known for her signature tune, the 1961 ballad “At Last.”