Entertainment columnist Roger Friedman is reporting that Prince now has two bad hips and is in desperate need of double hip replacement, yet continues to refuse surgery based on religious grounds.
Prince, in keeping with the his Jehovah’s Witness faith, does not believe in blood transfusions, according to Friedman.
The entertainer made an unscheduled appearance at the Apollo Theater’s 75th anniversary celebration to toast Patti LaBelle, and a source who was backstage with him said he was walking around “in a lot of pain.” “He’s popping pain killers and hoping it will all go away,” the source added.
According to Freidman, news of Prince needing a hip replacement first surfaced in 2005. “He declined. Then again in 2007 and 2008 came more reports that he’d finally agreed to ‘secret surgery,’” the columnist wrote.
“Now the diminutive R&B star is walking with a diamond-studded stick to keep him upright. It’s the same stick I saw him with two nights ago at a post-Tony Awards bash.”
If all of this is true, Prince’s two ailing hips couldn’t keep him from appearing at the Apollo Monday night to honor LaBelle, whom he referred to as, “My mother, my teacher, my cook and my stylist.” He added, “She taught me so much. I love her with all my heart, and I’m here for her.”
No one wants to see Prince in a wheelchair. But he’s still a ‘Noisemaker’ though:
