Getty Demi Lovato's condition is not yet clear after a reported overdose.
Demi Lovato, the actress and singer known for her battles with depression and drug addiction that culminated in a song called “Sober,” has been hospitalized after a reported overdose. What is known about Demi’s condition?
Entertainment Tonight reported that Demi’s rep now says: “Demi is awake and with her family who want to express thanks to everyone for the love, prayers and support. Some of the information being reported is incorrect and they respectfully ask for privacy and not speculation as her health and recovery is the most important thing right now.”
JUST IN: @ddlovato‘s rep has released a statement about her health. #PrayForDemi
According to TMZ, she was “unconscious” when paramedics arrived at her Hollywood Hills home. People Magazine then reported that Demi Lovato is “okay and stable,” per a source. However, People has now removed the word okay, without explanation, and is just reporting that Lovato is stable. Daily Variety also reported that a source says Lovato is in stable condition.
Kerissa Webb Dunn, Demi’s aunt, wrote that Demi was “awake and responsive” on Facebook, according to TMZ. That post could not be found on her public Facebook page, though. “PLEASE PLEASE pray for my sweet niece DEMI LOVATO. She has been hospitalized and needs everyone’s prayers desperately!!!! PLEASE PRAY she pulls through,” the top post on Webb Dunn’s Facebook page read shortly after that TMZ report. The page identifies her as a flight attendant and Co-director at Demi Lovato Charity Boutique. However, a short time later, Dunn either privatized or deleted the post because it was no longer visible on her public page. Here’s a screenshot:
Kerissa Webb Dunn Facebook post
People who saw the initial post on Facebook claim on Twitter that it read in full: “Demi is awake and responsive- Thank God!! Thank you for your prayers and please continue praying for her full recovery both short and long term.” However, that could not be confirmed. Fox News reported that a source says Demi is “recovering” and “stable.” Lady Gaga tweeted that Demi is alive. Joe Jonas tweeted that Demi “needs our prayers and support.”
Like all of you I am thinking of @DDLovato right now. She needs our prayers and support. We all know how strong you are Demi. #prayfordemi
US Weekly reported that unidentified friends of Demi were there at the time. She “had two friends with her at her house that called 911…they were hysterical when paramedics arrived and Demi was unconscious, but the friends acted very quickly and saved her life,” the magazine reported, claiming that a source said, “One of her friends had Narcan on hand in case something like this happened. Her friends knew this was coming because she’s been using so much again. They were up all night partying the night before at her house. Luckily, the Narcan worked and she will recover.” The magazine added that Demi’s mom is at her side.
Fans were absolutely relieved to hear the preliminary news about Demi’s condition being stable despite the lack of detailed information. Demi’s representatives have yet to make formal comment, which is a bit unusual.
Lovato’s hospitalization was initially reported by TMZ as a heroin overdose. The site updated its initial story to report that Lovato had suffered an “apparent heroin overdose” and then reported that, per a source, it wasn’t a heroin overdose after all. People Magazine reports that a source says it wasn’t heroin. It’s not clear what caused the reported overdose.
TMZ broke the tragic news on July 24, 2018 that Demi had been rushed to the hospital. “Demi Lovato was rushed to an L.A. hospital after suffering what appears to be a heroin overdose,” TMZ reported, citing law enforcement sources. TMZ later posted another story that clarified, “law enforcement sources involved in the case told us it was an apparent heroin overdose, but the source close to Demi says no.”
Here’s what you need to know:
The Reported Overdose Occurred at a Home in the Hollywood Hills & TMZ Says Demi Was Given Narcan
GettyDemi Lovato attends a Benefit Memorial on September 7, 2017.
TMZ provided the first details of what had happened to Lovato, writing, “Our sources say Demi was transported from a home in the Hollywood Hills just before noon Tuesday, and is currently being treated. We do not know her condition.” The heroin overdose reports have terrified fans, who are wondering if Demi is dead or alive, and who are hoping for the best case scenario: That the singer will be OK.
The site then updated its story to read, “Law enforcement sources tell us Demi was treated with Narcan — an emergency treatment for narcotic overdoses — at her home. We’ve confirmed the OD occurred at her house in the Hollywood Hills.” Here is the emergency dispatch audio. In it, Demi is described as “unconscious,” although not by name.
According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, Narcan or Naloxone “is a medication designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose. It is an opioid antagonist—meaning that it binds to opioid receptors and can reverse and block the effects of other opioids.”
The TMZ reports came before People Magazine reported that Demi is not dead and is in fact stable.
Celebrities have joined in those wishing Demi well.
I love @DDLovato so much. It breaks my heart that she is going through this. She is a light in this world, and I am sending my love to her and her family.
In the wake of the reports, the Fox Broadcasting Company announced that “a Tuesday episode of Beat Shazam featuring Lovato as a guest appearance would be replaced with another new episode,” reported The Hollywood Reporter, which quoted Fox as saying, “Our thoughts go out to Demi and her family.” The episode was filmed in 2017.
CNN cited a source close to Demi’s family as saying Lovato “has been hospitalized after suffering an apparent drug overdose.”
According to Live Nation, “Demi Lovato will not perform Thursday night in Atlantic City as part of the city’s beach concert series.”
The Fire & Police Departments Confirmed an Emergency
Demi Lovato.
Lovato’s struggles with substance abuse were used as grist for her artistry. Only last month, she revealed she had fallen off the wagon in a song called “Sober.”
The song’s lyrics go in part:
“Mama, I’m so sorry I’m not sober anymore / And daddy please forgive me for the drinks spilled on the floor,” she sang on the heartbreaking piano ballad. “And I’m sorry for the fans I lost who watched me fall again / I wanna be a role model, but I’m only human.”
According to Page Six, the Los Angeles Fire Department “confirmed that emergency personnel received a call at 11:22 a.m. local time and responded to a residence on Lovato’s block shortly after. The fire department said that a 25-year-old woman was transported to a nearby hospital.”
The Los Angeles Police Department said the department had responded to a “medical emergency” at a home on Lovato’s block at 11:40 a.m. Los Angeles time, reported Page Six.
Demi Has Spoken About Death in the Past & Fans Are Praying She’s OK
GettyDemi Lovato
Fans are flooding social media with prayers for Demi.
@ddlovato stay strong, we all believe in you ❤️🦋 So much love for you..
So sad to hear about @ddlovato may the good Lord heal her pain AND soul, so she may become better then ever. #PrayForDemi
One young woman wrote on Twitter, “I never understood how people felt so connected when a celeb they liked was injured or died. But @ddlovato showed me i wasn’t the only one fighting with mental illness. I truly hope she recovers and gets the help she needs and deserves.”
Demetria Devonne “Demi” Lovato was born August 20, 1992. According to Demi Lovato.org, Lovato is an “American actor, singer and songwriter. She is best known for her role as Mitchie Torres in the Disney Channel Original Movie Camp Rock and for her role as Charlotte Adams in the short five-minute Disney Channel series As The Bell Rings. Her debut album, Don’t Forget was released on September 23, 2008.”
The website continued. “Lovato was born in Dallas, Texas to Patrick Lovato and Dianna (Née Hart). She is of Hispanic, Irish and Italian descent. She has two sisters: Dallas Lovato, who is also an actress and singer and is five years older than Demi; and Madison DeLaGarza her half-sister, who is ten years younger than Demi. Her mother, Dianna Hart, was a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and country recording artist; her father, Patrick, moved to New Mexico after their marriage ended in 1994.”
Demi has spoken openly about being suicidal in the past, although it’s not clear whether the reported overdose was accidental in this case.
Demi Lovato has spoken in the past very candidly about her fascination with death. “The very first time I was suicidal was when I was seven. I had this fascination with death,” she told Dr. Phil in an interview. “I have experienced things that I have not talked about, and I don’t know if I ever will talk about. But at seven, I knew that if I were to take my own life, that the pain would end.”
Other fans chastised those who were spreading false rumors on Twitter when Demi’s condition is not clear. “Stop retweeting unconfirmed news about Demi Lovato being dead! Have some respect,” demanded one fan to another.
According to The New York Daily News, “She said the first time her suicidal thoughts returned when she was 12 and being bullied and she resorted to drugs and drinking.” She has also spoken openly about cutting, depression, and drug addiction over the years.
This post is being updated as more information is learned about Demi Lovato’s condition.