Paula Abdul

The singer, dancer and former American Idol judge has had lupus for over a decade and is currently in remission. She is a well known lupus advocate and spreads lupus awareness through her social media.

“When I was diagnosed, I was like, ‘Oh my God, it’s finally caught up with me.’ (referring to her dancing career). But I don’t let this slow me down. I have a lot more living in me and a lot more performing that I want to do. I definitely needed to work through my diagnoses mentally.” – From interview with Parade Magazine

Jane Austen

The novelist passed away aged 41, why she died remained a mystery, although Addison's disease and lymphoma were initially believed to be possible causes of death.

In December 1816, Jane told her nephew, James Austen-Leigh, that she found walking out to dinner “beyond her strength”. In March 1817, writing to her niece, Fanny Knight, she described her face as, “black and white and every wrong colour”, evidence of the butterfly rash seen in some lupus patients. By April she had become confined to bed.

In 2022 retired surgeon Michael Sanders, by reviewing all of Austen's available letters and extricating relevant medical information, put forward the conclusion that the cause of death was systemic lupus erythematosus. Her symptoms included rheumatism, facial skin lesions, fever and marked fluctuation of these symptoms. The severity of her symptoms increased, leading to her death within a year. Michael Sanders findings were published in Lupus a SAGE Journal.

Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott is probably best known for her classic novel, “Little Women”. But it was the rash on her face in a 19th century portrait that intrigued Dr Ian Greaves of the University of Minnesota. Greaves suspected that it held the key to a medical mystery. He and a colleague think they finally diagnosed the problem, 119 years after Alcott’s death.

In a scientific paper, Greaves and Dr. Norbert Hirschhorn suggest Alcott had lupus when she wrote most of her books. The clues, they conclude, all seem to fit, down to the distinctive rash on her cheeks and nose. If true, the diagnosis would have come as a shock to Alcott, who thought that her varied aches and pains were due to mercury poisoning or, more poetically, that she was simply ‘suffering for her art’. Alcott died of a stroke in 1888 at age 55.Two months earlier, she wrote: “I look about 70, grey & wrinkled & bent & lame”.

Kris Aquino

Kristina Bernadette Cojuangco Aquino, professionally known as Kris Aquino, is a Filipino television host, actress and producer. She notably starred as Princess Intan in the acclaimed Crazy Rich Asians.

She turned to social media and told millions of her fans that she had lupus.

"I cried nontstop when I got my blood panel result. My Churg Strauss/EGPA is still being treated, but to add it to my Crest Syndrome is now in full ACTIVE mode. And I'm already exhibiting many symptoms for another autoimmune connective tissue disease -- it's highly likely based on my ANA count, my high inflamatory numbers, my anemia, my now constant elevated blood pressure at night, and the consitest appearance of the 'butterfly rash' on my face that I'm at the initial stage of SLE or what's commonly known as lupus,""

Tichina Arnold

Tichina Arnold is an American actress, comedian and singer. She began her career as a child actor, appearing in Little Shop of Horrors and How I Got into College. She also played the family matriarch Rochelle on the sitcom Everybody Hates Chris and has appeared in many films such as Big Mommas House.

Tichina’s sister, Zenay, has seven autoimmune disorders, lupus being one of the more ferocious diseases. Zenay was told she would be in a wheelchair by now (she’s not). That she would lose her hair from chemo treatments (she didn’t). That the fatigue associated with lupus would not allow her to work full time (she does). Zenay considers herself a walking miracle, and as a result, the Arnold sisters now strive to give back to others who have been stricken with lupus and other related illnesses.

The #ArnoldSisters – as they frequently hashtag their dynamic duo on social media – created the We Win Foundation to bring awareness to lupus and to help people become lupus survivors like Zenay, who’s been living with it for over 10 years.

Brenda Blackmon

Brenda Blackmon is an African-American anchor based in New York City. She has been nominated for 15 Emmy Awards and won four.

In 2008 her daughter Kelle was diagnosed with lupus and Brenda founded The Kelly fund for Lupus Inc.

Ahmad Brooks

Ahmad Brooks is an American former football outside linebacker. He played college football at Virginia, and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals. He has also played for the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers.

His elder sister, Casandra, died at the age of 40 due to complications of lupus in 2015.

Echo Brown

Author and performer Echo Brown was known around the world for her novel, Black Girl Unlimited: The Remarkable Story of a Teenage Wizard, was diagnosed with lupus in 2015.

She passed away on 16th September 2023, aged 39, following a long battle with end-stage renal failure due to lupus.

Consequence

Consequence, is an American rapper from Queens, New York City, New York. He was a victim of online bullying when he posted a family picture at his son’s birthday celebration, July 2020.

This led him to reveal a diagnosis of lupus and diabetes. The 43-year-old father said that he felt sick earlier in the year and feared that it may be COVID-19. He was officially diagnosed with lupus in June.

He first felt pain in his neck while giving his 9-year-old son a piggyback ride. A physician prescribed a muscle relaxer, but as time went on it got worse. He thought he'd have time to recover when the pandemic hit, Consequence says he suffered immobility and weight loss and couldn't figure out what was wrong. He said the hardest part came once he was diagnosed, because his son thought he might have to say goodbye to Dad.

Consequence is sharing his battle so men know they can't ignore it, he said; “guys gotta get informed about the symptoms”.

Sherlyn Chopra

The Indian actress and model was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) in 2021 and said that had led to kidney failure. “My kidneys had stopped generating urine as a result of which my body was swollen. My doctor told me that to keep this health disorder under control, I will need to take medication for the rest of my life”.

Emily Dickinson

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (10 December 1830 to 15 May 1886), was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry.

In 1862 she she wrote 365 poems, in later years she grew so reclusive that she often communicated with her family by dropping notes down through the floorboards.

The possible reasons for Dickinson's insistence on privacy continue to fascinate literary scholars. One paper suggests that physical illness: headaches, poor eyesight, rashes and finally lupus, was the key.

Under normal circumstances a celebrity link to lupus would be posted here when the celebrity has spoken of it. In the case of historical figures such as Beethoven that’s not possible so this is based on research by others using reported symptoms/medical history etc.

Ava DuVernay

Ava DuVernay is an American filmmaker and film distributor. She won the directing award in the U.S. dramatic competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival for her second feature film Middle of Nowhere, becoming the first black woman to win the award

She is the creator and Executive Producer of Queen Sugar, she chose to give the character Violet (known as ‘Aunt Vi’) the autoimmune disease lupus and revealed for the first time that she too had lupus.

She added “I’ve been in remission for 20 years, but I did want to make sure that we create spaces to talk about it. We wanted to really give that chronic illness to Vi and show you can live and you can battle through it, you can continue to thrive, but you have to manage it.”

Ayda Field

Gwen Field, mother of Ayda Field (who is married to Robbie Williams) has lupus. As well as lupus Gwen also suffers from Parkinsons and cervical cancer.

During lockdown in May 2020 Ayda revealed more devastating news. "My mum in January was diagnosed with Stage 2 Cervical Cancer and it had spread outside the cervix and was a very aggressive tumour so alongside her Parkinson's and her Lupus was this cancer battle and because the cancer was so big they decided that she needed to immediately go into chemo and radiation daily and have surgery," Ayda explained.

“When the pandemic hit it was very scary because my mum with Lupus and Parkinson's and cancer, at 70 years old is prime for some bad things happening so she was going to the hospital every day for these treatments and I just remember every day thinking 'Is she going to pick something up? Is this where it all ends?'" she added.

Yūko Gotō

Yūko Gotō a Japanese voice actress and singer. In direct contrast to her cute-and-vulnerable moé typecasting, Yūko in real life is a devotee of biker culture who dresses and acts as such when not working, right down to her motorcycle.

This is parodied in the 23rd episode of Lucky Star, in which she appears as a masculine Bōsōzoku-styled character of herself called Gotouza, a nickname given to her by fellow voice actor Tomokazu Sugita.

In 2012, she announced that she is suffering from idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and systemic lupus erythematosus. .

Halsey

Grammy nominated singer Halsey said she's been treated for conditions including endometriosis, Ehlers-Danlos syndromes, Sjogren's syndrome and mast cell activation syndrome. She hinted she was now also being treated for lupus and leukaemia by tagging the Lupus Research Alliance as well as the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Society in her latest post.

Halsey has spoken previously about her poor health, saying: "I've kind of been sick most of my adult life".

In a series of photos and videos, she's seen in hospital saying she feels "like an old lady". One of the videos shared by Halsey show her receiving treatment in a hospital and in her new song, ‘The End’, she sings about "poison" in her blood, starting treatment. and about how "every couple of years now, the doctor says I'm sick".

The artist will be donating proceeds from the song to Lupus Research Alliance and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

June 2024

Kamala Harris

Twitter/@mayaharris_

Kamala Harris is an American politician and attorney who is the 49th vice president of the United States.

Kamala’s sister Maya has lupus. In 2020, Maya revealed that she was diagnosed with Lupus when she was 22-years-old. She kept the fact private for three decades, only speaking up after Donald Trump suggested that hydroxychloroquine, used to control lupus symptoms, could be used to prevent COVID-19 - even though the efficacy of this was unproven.

Melissa Joan Hart

Actor Melissa, internationally known for playing Sabrina the teenage witch, is an Ambassador for Lupus LA.

She explained her support for lupus saying “I had no clue what lupus was. I had just celebrated my wedding and was in the process of making new friends. I became fast friends with my dear friend Kellie Martin and learned that she had lost her only sister to this autoimmune disease. This news absolutely devastated me. All through my life I have thanked God for keeping my family safe and healthy, unable to imagine my life if I was ever to lose one of them. I wanted her to know that I was not only willing to be there for her as a friend, but that I would try to help in any way possible.”

Click here for a video of Melissa talking about lupus and why she supports lupus causes.

Sally Hawkins

Sally Hawkins, an English actress, is the recipient of numerous accolades including a Golden Globe Award and the Silver Bear for Best Actress and has been nominated for two Academy Awards.

Sally appeared in many films including: Star Wars, Godzilla, Paddington, the shape of water, Jane Eyre and Made in Dagenham. Also in TV programmes such as: Casualty, the Hollow Crown and Little Britain.

In 2018 Sally revealed that she has lupus. "I do get quite tired, but I don't let it stop me. I've been very lucky with it, for the most part. It comes in waves. I'm not crippled with it, like some people. I just have to be aware and take it steady."

Jess Impiazzi

Actress, Author and Reality TV star Jess Impiazzi was diagnosed with lupus in July 2023. Jess’s crippling symptoms started in January, one month after she had her breast implants replaced when one of them ruptured.

She said "My body was just completely failing me and I couldn’t get any answers. I was tired all the time, aching all over and then this angry rash appeared on my chest and face. One day I started coughing up blood, which was incredibly scary. I thought it was stomach cancer. Then I started panicking that it was multiple autoimmune."

Carrie Ann Inaba

Carrie Ann Inaba is an American television personality, dancer, choreographer, actress, and singer. She is best known for her work on ABC TV's Dancing with the Stars, as Fook Yu in Austin Powers in Goldmember, and as a current co-host of the CBS Daytime talk show, The Talk.

In September 2019 Carrie Ann said that she only recently learned she had lupus as her doctor forgot to tell her. “It’s so weird," she said. "I was diagnosed with autoimmune six years ago, but my doctor didn’t tell me I had lupus,” she continued. “I was having a colonoscopy and I saw my chart [read] lupus and I was like, ‘This is not my chart,’ and they were like, ‘You have lupus.’”

“So my doctor had forgotten to tell me,” she added.

Read Carrie Ann’s blog the Invisible Warrior.