Ray J Says Doctors Told Him He Has Limited Time to Live — '2027 Is Definitely a Wrap for Me'

Thanks to the popularity of social media, fans get to see more of their favorite celebrities' daily lives than at any time in the past. Sadly, that increased level of access has recently led to fans of Ray J learning devastating news. The singer, songwriter, television personality, and actor claimed in recent Instagram Live clips that doctors told him he has limited time left.

Ray J Publicly Reveals That His Heart is Failing

As a January 28, 2026, USA Today article shows, Ray J recently gave fans tragic news in a series of clips taken from a live video that are going viral on social media. This comes after TMZ reported on January 7, 2026, that he'd been hospitalized after being diagnosed with pneumonia. While speaking in widely shared clips, he claimed doctors told him his heart is failing. "2027 is definitely a wrap for me... My heart, on the right side, right here. It's like black. It's like done." After an off-camera person tries to convince him that he has lots of time left, Ray J stated that his hard living had done life-threatening damage to his heart.

“I f----d up. You know why?... I thought 'I can handle all the alcohol, all the Adderall, all the drugs. I can handle everything.' But, I couldn't. It curved my time here. It curved all my time here, I'm saying real bad. I'm like rolling around like this, ‘Damn. I'm going so hard. I'm like four or five bottles a day, ten Addies.’ I'm like, ‘Ain't nothing happening to me. I'm undestructible.’ Jokes on me. Take care of yourself… I gotta do my check-up tomorrow.”

On January 25, 2026, Ray J posted a different video on Instagram with a caption that begins, "Just almost died!!" That post showed Ray J speaking more about the state of his heart and saying that only a fraction of the organ is working properly. However, he seemed much more optimistic about his future in this video. "I was in the hospital. My heart's only beating like 25%, but as long as I stay focused and stay on the right path, then everything will be all right. So thank you for all your prayers."

In response to Ray J's comments about his heart and the potential that he could die soon, fans have been offering their support on social media. For instance, X user @InDaLoop247 posted, "JUST IN: Doctors tell Ray J he has only a few months left to live & reveals heart is ‘only beating 25%’ Let’s keep him in our ????????’s. ????????"

????JUST IN: Doctors tell Ray J he has only a few months left to live & reveals heart is ‘only beating 25%’ Let’s keep him in our ????????’s ???????? pic.twitter.com/fCID6AznYS

— InDaLoop (@InDaLoop247) January 28, 2026

Ray J Had a Major Health Scare Before

On October 6, 2021, People published an article revealing that Ray J had been hospitalized after contracting pneumonia. The article quoted a statement from Ray J's manager, David Weintraub, who described the singer's status at the time this way. "He's in the hospital for pneumonia, but it's not the contagious kind. [The doctors] wanted to keep him there a couple extra days to watch him." Weintraub also revealed that Ray J wanted to give his fans the following message. "I appreciate all the love and support from everybody. Thank you for keeping me in your prayers, and I will be back up and running soon."

A week later on October 13, 2021, TMZ reported that Ray J had been released from the hospital, was no longer on oxygen, and had stopped requiring the use of an inhaler. The outlet also stated that he was taking things easy as he recovered further.