Lil Wayne (born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr.) is reportedly near death.
Earlier this week on Tuesday, the 30-year-old rapper was admitted to Los Angeles's Cedars-Sinai Hospital. He was released the next day. But just hours later, one of Carter's bodyguards discovered him, unconscious on the floor of his room.
He was immediately taken back to the hospital. He was brought to the ICU. But he apparently never regained consciousness, suffering severe seizure-like symptoms. And now, according to TMZ, Carter is on life support, awaiting last rites.
UPDATE Lil Wayne not dead, released from hospital.
The YMCMB rapper's mother is flying to L.A., TMZ reports, preparing to decide whether to remove her son from life support.
The cause of Carter's seizures is an alleged sizzurp binge. Doctors apparently found a high level of codeine in the rapper's blood, promptly pumped his stomach several times, and finally placed him into a medically induced coma.
But shedding doubt on TMZ's report, Young Money president Mack Maine has tweeted:
Wayne is alive and well! We watching the Syracuse game...thanks for the prayers and concern..he will update you all soon. #love
— Mack Maine (@mackmaine) March 16, 2013
We will be releasing an official statement shortly but dont believe the nonsense about comas and tubes to breathe...that's false!!
— Mack Maine (@mackmaine) March 16, 2013
— Mack Maine (@mackmaine) March 16, 2013
Let's hope Maine is telling the truth.
UPDATE A tweet was also posted to Lil Wayne's Twitter account (either by the rapper or his team) contradicting the seriousness of the situation as depicted by TMZ:
I'm good everybody. Thx for the prayers and love.
-- Lil Wayne WEEZY F (@LilTunechi) March 16, 2013
Meanwhile, Crossfade's sister blog West Coast Sound in Los Angeles even visited Cedars-Sinai, waited outside the hospital, and spoke with a female member of the rapper's entourage, who called reports of Carter's death "lies."
She added: "He's sitting up, drinking water."
Contributing to the confusion, TMZ has removed its original claim that "Wayne is being prepared for his last rites ... with his family surrounding him to say their goodbyes."
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