Natalie Cole

Credit: Matt Sayles/AP

Natalie Cole Returns to the Stage in Hollywood

Originally posted 09/10/2009 06:05PM

Four months after undergoing kidney transplant surgery, Natalie Cole made an energetic return to the stage Wednesday, belting out more than a dozen songs at a comeback concert in Hollywood.

"I really do have to say ... it really is a miracle time. It's a miracle night for me," she told the crowd at the Hollywood Bowl. "I never thought I'd be standing here healthy and whole and 100 percent."

The Grammy Award-winning singer, 59, dressed in an asymmetrical purple gown, received multiple standing ovations throughout the night – at the beginning of her performance when she first stepped out onstage, during songs and at the end of her encore performance.

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Credit: Matthew Rolston

Natalie Cole Celebrates Life with a Post-Surgery Concert

Originally posted 06/09/2009 05:00PM

Just weeks after a successful kidney transplant, Natalie Cole has announced her performance comeback. The 59-year-old Grammy-winning singer says she will return to the stage on Sept. 9, appearing at the Hollywood Bowl.

Cole, who was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 2008, also conveyed her "deepest appreciation and gratitude" toward her fans for the support she has received since the transplant and the death of her elder sister, Carole Cole, from lung cancer on May 19, the same day as Natalie Cole's surgery.

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Credit: Scott Kirkland/INF

Health

Natalie Cole's Sister Dies During Singer's Kidney Transplant

Originally posted 05/22/2009 01:25PM

Natalie Cole was with her cancer-stricken sister Carole "Cookie" Cole when the Grammy-winning singer got the call: a donor kidney was available to save Natalie's life.

"She said, 'What do you mean? I can't deal with that right now! I'm here with my dying sister!' " Natalie's other sister, Timolin Cole, tells the New York Post. "And they said to her, 'No, ma'am. We've got to do it now. You've got to be at Cedars-Sinai in two hours.' "

"I told her, 'Natalie, this is God's gift, and you've got to go now. Cookie would want this for you.' "

Cookie, who had been diagnosed with lung cancer just the week before, died during Natalie's surgery, Timolin said. "This is all so surreal, and it is devastating."

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Grammy Awards 2009

Pregnant M.I.A. to Rap at Grammys – On Her Due Date

Originally posted 02/05/2009 12:45PM

Rapper M.I.A. had better add one more person to her Grammy entourage – a doctor.

The pregnant hip-hop star, who is nominated for two awards, is scheduled to perform at the ceremony Sunday, which is also her due date.

"They say that you're often late the first time, so I'm planning to go," the mom-to-be, 31, who is engaged to musician Benjamin Brewer, tells USA Today. "We'll see. People are trying to get me to relax and focus on the baby. It's like being in parallel universes."

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Credit: AFP PHOTO/VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty

Health

Natalie Cole Is Taking Her Treatment on Tour

Originally posted 10/29/2008 09:50AM

After enduring months of agonizing treatment for hepatitis C, Natalie Cole says, "It feels great to be back!"

"I feel sturdy and strong," the 58-year-old Grammy-winner told PEOPLE Tuesday at a CD signing for her new album, Still Unforgettable, in L.A.

And while the singer is virus negative, Cole is now battling kidney problems, and must undergo dialysis three times a week, three hours a day.

"The dialysis is to wash my blood, to keep my kidneys functioning," she explained. "When they put me in the hospital, [my kidneys were] only about 8 percent [functioning]."

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