Lovato thankful to be ‘alive’ after overdose

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‘Zorba’ composer hospitalized

LOS ANGELES, Aug 6, (Agencies): Pop star Demi Lovato said Sunday she was thankful to be alive and needed time to recover in her first remarks since an overdose nearly two weeks ago.

Writing to her more than 70 million followers on Instagram, Lovato gave few details on her July 24 hospitalization but noted that she has long been open about her struggles with addiction.

“What I’ve learned is that this illness is not something that disappears or fades with time,” the 25-year-old star wrote.

“It is something that I must continue to overcome and have not done yet,” she wrote.

“I want to thank God for keeping me alive and well,” she said, adding that she was “forever grateful” for the support of her fans and crediting the staff of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles with saving her life.

Lovato, who canceled a show in Atlantic City that had been planned for two days after her hospitalization, suggested that she may not be returning to the public eye soon.

“I now need time to heal and focus on my sobriety and road to recovery,” she wrote.

Lovato has long spoken of her struggles with depression, eating disorders and addiction, belying her happy persona as a smiling star of the children’s show “Barney and Friends.”

Reviving

A 2012 documentary, “Demi Lovato: Stay Strong,” showed how she used to snort cocaine several times a day before finding her way into rehab and reviving her career.

In June, Lovato released a song entitled “Sober” in which she indicated a relapse and apologizes in verse to her parents.

The singer, whose hits include “Sorry Not Sorry,” was rushed from her home to a hospital by emergency responders. It remains unclear on which drug she overdosed.

Her overdose prompted a flurry of statements of solidarity from fellow stars who praised her personality — although the attention also triggered a backlash by social media users, who noted that many non-celebrities suffer from drugs with little fanfare.

Lovato spoke out on Sunday about her battle with addiction, saying she needed “time to heal and focus on my sobriety” days after media reports said she was taken to a Los Angeles hospital suffering from a suspected overdose.

“I have always been transparent about my journey with addiction,” the 25-year-old Grammy-nominated recording artist wrote on Instagram. “What I’ve learned is that this illness is not something that disappears or fades with time. It is something I must continue to overcome and have not done yet.”

Lovato, who has spoken openly in the past about her history of drug and alcohol abuse, thanked God, her friends and her fans, saying that their positive thoughts and prayers had helped her navigate “this difficult time.”

She also thanked her family, team and the staff at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Hollywood, who she said had been at her side since she was admitted on July 24. “Without them I wouldn’t be here writing this letter to all of you,” Lovato wrote.

Recovery

“I now need time to heal and focus on my sobriety and road to recovery,” she said. “The love you have all shown me will never be forgotten and I look forward to the day where I can say I came out on the other side. I will keep fighting.”

The New Mexico-born performer rose to fame on Disney Channel shows “Camp Rock” and “Sonny with a Chance” before forging a pop career with hits such as “Skyscraper” and “Sorry Not Sorry.”

In a 2017 YouTube documentary, “Simply Complicated,” Lovato spoke about years of substance abuse, eating disorders, and drinking, saying she first started using cocaine when she was 17. She entered rehab at the age of 18 and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Though Lovato’s post didn’t confirm that she had entered rehab, sources told TMZ that those closest to her are urging her to seek professional help. That extends to people who work for Lovato as well — one source reportedly said they would quit her team because the singer could end up dying if she didn’t enter rehab. However, the sources told TMZ they believe the overdose itself and the complications she faced during her hospital stay have sufficiently scared the former Disney star enough to seek a live-in facility for extended treatment.

Lovato has struggled with substance abuse for years, and the overdose comes from a relapse after six years of sobriety, which she revealed in June in her single “Sober.” Since the news broke of her overdose, Lovato has received an outpouring of support from her fans, colleagues, and other Hollywood stars alike. “Sober” has re-entered the Billboard 100 charts, receiving a 199% streaming spike with 7.2 million US streams since the overdose.

The “Sorry Not Sorry” singer has received treatment for bipolar disorder, bulimia, and substance abuse in the past, and documented many of her struggles in her 2017 YouTube original documentary “Simply Complicated.”

Also:

ATHENS: Renowned Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis, who wrote the music for the 1964 classic film “Zorba the Greek”, has been hospitalised after suffering a heart attack, the state agency ANA reported Sunday.

Doctors said the 93-year-old was “out of immediate danger” but was being kept in hospital in Athens as a precaution given his advanced age.

Theodorakis penned what is probably the best-known piece of Greek music, the theme tune to Zorba, an instrumental which is still played and danced to around the world.

He is also known in Greece as an icon of resistance against World War II Nazi Germany, as a militant communist in Greece’s 1946-49 civil war and as an activist against the military junta that ruled Greece from 1967-74.

Theodorakis has remained a high-profile political campaigner and in February this year was out on the streets again, urging the Greek government not to compromise in the festering name row with neighbouring Macedonia.

In 2012 riot police used tear gas against him during an anti-austerity demonstration outside parliament.

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