The Grammy-winning singer Muni Long in a shocking revelation opened up about her double lung transplant after departing Brandy and Monica’s The Boy Is Mine Tour last year.The 37-year-old singer was hospitalized and encountered a major health setback as doctors informed her that she had just one week left to live.“The road is tough, even when you are healthy,” Long said on Tuesday’s episode of Good Morning America. “I should have never taken that tour. But there was so much going on in my life where I had to do it” as reported by Entertainment.In 2014, she was diagnosed with lupus. While touring with Brandy and Monica in 2025, she developed pneumonia and fell severely ill. But she tried to “push through the illness”.
What is lupus?
Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease, which means the immune system — the part of the body that’s supposed to fight off infections — gets confused and starts attacking healthy tissue instead. It can affect almost any part of the body, including the skin, joints, kidneys, heart, lungs, and brain. That wide reach is part of what makes it so difficult to diagnose and live with.The most common form is called systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE. One of its most recognizable signs is a butterfly-shaped rash that spreads across the cheeks and nose, though not everyone with lupus develops it. Other symptoms include fatigue, joint pain, swelling, fever, and sensitivity to sunlight. But because these symptoms overlap with so many other conditions, lupus often takes years to identify correctly.What makes lupus particularly unpredictable is its pattern of flares and remissions. A person might feel relatively fine for months and then suddenly experience a serious flare-up with no obvious trigger. So it isn’t just physically demanding — it’s emotionally exhausting too.Lupus is more common in women, particularly those of childbearing age, and disproportionately affects women of colour. There’s currently no cure, but treatment can help manage symptoms and reduce damage over time.
She required double lung transplant
“I went back and I think, maybe five or six dates in, it was just like… I couldn’t even get out of the bed to make my call time for stage,” she recalled. “And the last show, I just barely made it. I was only able to do two songs.”The Made-For-Me singer was extremely worried and couldn’t ignore the symptoms. She had known, ‘for a really long time that something was wrong’. While talking about her illness she said, “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.”But she faced the nightmare of her life after she woke up in the hospital. Despite feeling much better, a team of doctors informed her that she only had one week left to live and required a double lung transplant.“My jaw dropped. Literally. I was like, ‘That’s rude,’” she told Robin Roberts. “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.’”Long was hesitant of going through the surgery. She was worried about how it might affect her voice, but it was her son who with ex-husband Raysean Hairston changed her decision as reported by People.“The ego and the vanity were just like, ‘But what about my voice? What’s going to happen?’” Long said. “But then I look at my son, and I think about how much more life that I have to live. Quality of life was first. I can’t sing if I’m not here.”It has been six months since the surgery, now the singer is absolutely functioning in a “fabulous” way.“Tomorrow is my last appointment for all the things. 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”, excited Long said.She has also released a new single, titled “The Riches,” which was recorded prior to her health scare. Muni Long said her voice is now totally different and claimed it to be better.“It’s actually better, should I say?”Still, she feared of whether she can perform yet.
