Hepatitis C is a condition which doesn’t discriminate, affecting those who live a celebrity lifestyle as often as the average Joe.
Here are some famous faces with hep C:
PAMELA ANDERSON – actress
The actress publicly stated in March 2002 that she had contracted hepatitis C
ANTHONY KIEDIS – vocalist/lyricist of the band, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedis revealed he contracted hepatitis C from a syringe while injecting heroin.
EVEL KNIEVEL – motorcycle daredevil
In 1999, Evel Knievel underwent a liver transplant after nearly dying of hepatitis C, which, he believed, had been contracted from a blood transfusion.
NATALIE COLE – singer, songwriter
The Grammy Award-winning singer was diagnosed with Hepatitis C during a routine examination.
DAVID CROSBY – The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
The musician underwent a liver transplant due to hepatitis C. He spent 71 days in hospital and was within days of dying before his transplant.
BILLY GRAHAM – wrestling icon
Hepatitis C is a disease that is prevalent among professional wrestlers from the bloodbath eras of the 70’s and 80’s. It was common for wrestlers to share razor blades when cutting themselves to produce the “blood” effect during matches.
STANLEY GREENE – photojournalist known for documentation of the conflict in Chechnya
In 2008, Greene revealed that he had hepatitis C, which he believed he had contracted from a contaminated razor while working in Chad the year before. After controlling the disease with medication, he travelled to Afghanistan and shot a story about the crisis of drug abuse and infectious disease.
CHET HELMS – music promoter and cultural figure in San Francisco during the late sixties
Often called the father of San Francisco’s 1967 Summer of Love, Helms was a well-known music promoter and a cultural figure in San Francisco during its hippie period in the late Sixties. He died of hep C complications in 2005.
DUSTY HILL – bassist and co-vocalist with the American rock group ZZ Top
In 2000, blues-rock band ZZ Top, known for their shaggy beards, had to drop the European leg of a world tour when bassist Dusty Hill fell ill with hepatitis C.
NAOMI JUDD – country music singer
As a young nurse, country music star Naomi Judd contracted hepatitis C through a needle injury.
Do you know of any famous people with hep C? If so, add them to the list!
