Dancehall star Vybz Kartel is “doing fine” after he fell ill while partying at a popular nightclub in Kingston on Monday night.
The artist, who had been diagnosed with Graves’ disease during his time in prison, apparently began feeling unwell as patrons around him ‘fanned’ him with rags. A video showed the Fever deejay being assisted by two security guards, who bookended him as they transported him outside towards a waiting car.
On Tuesday, a source close to Kartel told DancehallMag that the “deejay is doing fine.” “It was just dehydration and the heat of the persons pressing around him. Kartel is fine right now,” they added added.
Some online commenters speculated that excessive partying and alcohol may have contributed, with one remarking, “Too much partying and drinking. He needs to rest, lay back and focus on his health.”
Another suggested: “Why he think drinking alcohol is great for his health tho???”
Others were less pessimistic in their outlook, adding: “See a drunk e man drunk😂 the man all ah smile when him ah lef the club”.
One comment suggested that Kartel needed to admit that he was a middle-aged man, saying: “The body needs proper healing, Im sorry but the body isn’t young anymore🍀 stay home and relax with sidem ❤️”.
In May 2023, it was disclosed that the then-incarcerated deejay had been battling Graves’ disease and other health issues, including heart conditions. His legal team suggested that for more than half of his incarceration, Kartel was reportedly battling Graves’ Disease under conditions many called “inhumane.”
Kartel’s physician, Dr. Karen Phillips, made sworn statements in court that Kartel’s heart function was below normal and that he could have a heart attack at any time. Or even die in his sleep.
With Graves’ disease, your immune system attacks your thyroid gland, causing it to make more thyroid hormones than your body needs. As a result, many of your body’s functions speed up (CDC) as a result of the overproduction of thyroid hormones, otherwise known as hyperthyroidism.
Symptoms of the autoimmune disease include bulging eyes, gritty sensation in the eyes, pressure or pain in the eyes, puffy or retracted eyelids, enlargement of the thyroid gland, and frequent bowel movements, among other symptoms.
Graves’ disease can become fatal when it is left untreated.