Chaka Khan checks into rehab, postpones July concerts

Grammy award-winning RnB singer Chaka Khan has checked herself into a drug rehabilitation program, prompting her to “postpone all dates scheduled for the month of July” her representatives have said in a statement.

“Chaka has struggled with a dependence on prescription pain medications and has voluntarily entered the program to get healthy and stay that way. As part of the ongoing outpatient treatment the doctors have urged her to resume recording mid-July and commence all performances beginning August 1st and onward.”

The decision of the 63-year-old to go into rehab was influenced by the loss of a friend to a fentanyl overdose, the Associated Press reports.

“The tragic death of Prince has had us both rethinking and reevaluating our lives and priorities,” Khan said of herself and her younger sister Yvonne Stevens. “We knew it was time to take action to save our lives,” the Associated Press quoted her as saying.

Khan, who first gained fame in the 1970s as the lead female vocalist for the funk band Rufus, launched her solo career with the 1978 smash hit “I’m Every Woman.”

The Ain’t Nobody singer in her statement also expressed her regret at missing “concert appearances over the summer”.

“However, it’s vital that I put my health and well-being first. I know that I am disappointing some of my fans, but I also know they would want me to recover and be well and healthy” her statement added.

Khan’s 1984 chart-topping version of the song “I Feel For You,” from the hit album of the same name, was written and first recorded by Prince and is widely credited as the first R&B track to feature a rap, which was performed by Grandmaster Melle Mel.

Prince, a longtime friend and collaborator with Khan, died in late April from an accidental overdose of the powerful opioid painkiller fentanyl. At the age of 57.