Grammy-winning singer Muni Long has revealed she was given just one week to live by doctors before undergoing a life-saving double lung transplant. The 37-year-old artist, known for hits like "Hrs & Hrs" and "Made For Me," shared her harrowing health journey on Good Morning America, detailing how her early exit from Brandy and Monica's The Boy Is Mine Tour in 2025 led to a critical diagnosis.
Double Lung Transplant After Tour Exit
Long, who was diagnosed with lupus in 2014, told co-anchor Robin Roberts that she should never have taken the tour. "I should have never taken that tour. But there was so much going on in my life where I had to do it," she said. After leaving the tour, she went home for Thanksgiving before waking up in hospital. Doctors informed her that without surgery, she had only one week to live.
Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease where the body's immune system attacks its own healthy tissues and organs, causing widespread inflammation that can damage the skin, joints, blood cells, kidneys, lungs, and heart, according to the NHS.
Grim Prognosis and Surgery
Long recalled the moment doctors delivered the grim news. "My jaw dropped. Literally. I was like, 'That's rude.' But they were kind of like, 'This is not a joke. You need to make a choice. You can either go to hospice or you can get these lungs,'" she said. The singer underwent the double lung transplant nearly six months ago and is now feeling better.
"Tomorrow is my last appointment for all the things," Long said. "No symptoms. Asymptomatic. No infections. None of that. Then I have my vocal checkup, six months will be in August because I had to have vocal surgery, as well."
Recovery and New Music
Long released a new single called "The Riches," which was the last music she recorded before her health complications. "My voice now is totally different. It's actually better, should I say? But I don't know that I can perform yet. They gave me six months to a year," the singer confirmed. She had been experiencing symptoms for a long time, including coughing and shortness of breath, which she attributed to the demands of the music industry.
"I knew for a really long time that something was wrong. Every day I’m, like, spitting in cups and coughing all the time. Trying to take all these medicines to get through the day. With this industry, you’re always in people’s faces. So, I’m taking pictures, and I’m just huffing and puffing like I just ran a marathon," she said.
