Heavy/Getty Tori Kelly in spring 2023
Grammy Award-winning pop singer Tori Kelly was rushed to the hospital, according to TMZ, after collapsing during a dinner with friends in downtown Los Angeles on July 23, 2023.
TMZ broke the news the following day, reporting that the 30-year-old “American Idol” alum is being treated for blood clots in the ICU at Cedars-Sinai Hospital.
A source told the outlet that after feeling like her heart was racing, Kelly collapsed and was “out for a while.” Rather than call an ambulance that would take her to the nearest hospital, the source told TMZ, her friends carried her outside to a vehicle to make sure she got to Cedars-Sinai, which U.S. News recently rated as the top hospital in California and second best in the nation.
Late on July 24, a longtime friend of Kelly’s took to social media to ask fans to “please just pray” for Kelly, and shortly after, her husband shared hopeful lyrics from one of her songs in his Instagram Stories.
Here’s what you need to know:
Source Says Tori Kelly Has Been ‘In & Out of Consciousness’
At the hospital, doctors discovered clots in Kelly’s legs and her lungs, according to TMZ, and were trying to determine if any more were around her heart. A source told the outlet that the situation was “really serious” and that she had been “in and out of consciousness” since arriving at the hospital.
When blood clots travel from the legs to a lung, it’s called a pulmonary embolism, which the Mayo Clinic says can be life-threatening because blood flow to the lungs is blocked. In early 2023, “Today Show” meteorologist Al Roker was on hiatus from the show for two months, per Fortune, due to blood clots moving from his legs to his lungs, requiring multiple surgeries and blood transfusions.
Kelly last posted on social media on the day of her collapse, according to Entertainment Tonight, which shared an Instagram Story that she posted featuring a photo of Nike shoes and the message, “happy sunday!! jesus loves you so much”
On the night of July 24, musician AJ Rafael, who has been friends with Kelly for many years, posted in his Instagram Stories, “It has been really wild to see so many headlines, articles, discussion under posts and TikTok ‘journalism’ videos about a close friend all day today. It’s not my place to share any updates and how accurate these all are so instead of asking me (I know most of it is out of love and care) please just pray for the health of TK. Love you Torz”
Kelly first gained national attention at age 16 when she auditioned for “American Idol” in 2010. Despite judge Simon Cowell telling her he found her voice “almost annoying,” she got a golden ticket and made it through Hollywood Week, but did not get to the Top 24.
Kelly later signed a major record deal and in 2015, her first album debuted at Number 2 on the Billboard 200, according to her Grammy bio, delivering two hit singles, “Nobody Love” and “Should’ve Been Us.” Kelly was nominated the next year for Best New Artist but lost out to Meghan Trainor. She has since been nominated for four more Grammys, winning two in 2018 for her Gospel album “Hiding Place,” and also stars as Meena the elephant in the animated “Sing” movies.
In 2021, Kelly returned to “Idol” as a celebrity mentor and performed duets with multiple contestants. She recalled her time on the show with fondness during one mentoring session.
“Looking back, it was this huge blessing,” she said. “I just remember every performance I did, I was like, ‘I’m gonna leave everything on that stage. This whole experience really put a fire under me.”
On social media lately, Kelly has been teasing the upcoming July 28 release of her new album “tori,” a soul-infused pop album, and an album release concert at the Roxy in Los Angeles that night.
Reflecting on her career thus far to People in March, she said, “I’ve been able to do so many things, but at the same time, there’s so much more that I haven’t even shown people yet.”
Fans Flood Social Media While Awaiting Updates on Tori Kelly
Neither Kelly’s team nor family had commented about her medical emergency at the time of publication, but in the early morning hours of July 25, her husband posted a snippet of audio and lyrics from one of her songs. Kelly married German-born basketball player André Murillo in May 2018, according to People.
In his Instagram Stories, Murillo shared a poignant clip of her 2021 collaboration with Justin Bieber, “Where Do I Fit In,” with the lyrics written in white on a black background. The lyrics he chose to feature were as follows.
When I’m all alone, and Fear is all I see
Sitting in the silence with these insecurities
It’s then You remind me You’re holding me tight
And You love me completely, You’re always by my side
And You say to me It’ll be alright
On July 12, Murillo posted a collage of photos of the couple in the same spot over the years — a dock on picturesque Lake Hume in California, with him lifting her up in a big embrace. He captioned the photo, “Hume tradition ❤️”
Fans and friends have begun to fill the comment section of his post with well-wishes for Kelly as news of her condition spread.
One person wrote, “Praying for Tori ❤️ Our family adores her. Hang in there.”
Another person commented, “Praying for you and Tori both!! God’s in control ❤️🥺”
Singer Devan Blake Jones, who was a contestant on season 20 of “The Voice” and is a huge Tori Kelly fan, wrote, “Praying for you both. Andre I know you’re soldering but we are praying for you because we know it’s not easy. Hang in there.”
In his Instagram Stories, he also shared a story about Kelly’s condition and wrote, “I’m losing my s***. Lord please protect … We love you girl.”
People also took to Twitter to wish Kelly a fast and full recovery. Actress Yvette Nicole Brown wrote, “Dear Lord, please watch out for @ToriKelly and please heal her body. ❤️”
A fan tweeted, “tori kelly is more than just a singer to us she’s an inspiration, our best friend. She has saved us in so many ways possible and all we want right now is for her to be okay”
Another wrote, “I’ve never prayed for a celebrity the way I’m praying for Tori Kelly right now. She’s someone who’s dedicated her music career to spreading God’s love and His goodness. I pray God doesn’t take her from us”