R&B singer and reality star Ray J said he’s battling serious health problems after a January hospitalization for pneumonia and heart pain, and that doctors warned he “will not live long.” The update came in an Instagram live that Ray J later reposted on X, in which he thanked fans for their prayers and said his “heart’s only beating like 25 percent.” 

According to Ray J, physicians told him he likely wouldn’t make it into 2027. He also said his heart had “turned black” after years of substance abuse and feeling “invincible.” The singer was admitted to a Las Vegas hospital on Jan. 7 for severe pneumonia and chest pain, a hospitalization first reported by TMZ and later confirmed in interviews with his manager. 

Ray J’s manager, David Weintraub, told People, "He's in the hospital for pneumonia, but it's not the contagious kind. [The doctors] wanted to keep him there a couple extra days to watch him."

Despite initially being placed in a COVID care unit, Ray J did not test positive for COVID-19 and was on oxygen during care. 

In his message to fans, he said he’s focused on staying on the “right path” and said, "I appreciate all the love and support from everybody. Thank you for keeping me in your prayers, and I will be back up and running soon."

This isn’t the "Sexy Can I" singer’s first brush with a severe case of pneumonia. He was also hospitalized for the illness in 2021, People reports.