by Alicia Cruz
The Black Urban Times
Donto James, the eldest son of 50's blues singer, Etta James, says his mother has been hospitalized at Riverside Community Hospital in Riverside, Ca for a number of ailments, the more serious one being sepsis, a very serious medical condition that the body develops in response to microbes in ones blood, urine lungs or skin.
James has been hospitalized for more than a week and though Donto says doctors are planning to discharge his mother "very soon" to a skilled nursing home for her after care treatment, he isn't so sure she is ready to leave the hospital.
Her son says that doctors believe James' most serious ailment may have been a recurrence of an urinary tract infection that James developed around the time she performed "At Last" on ABCs "Dancing with the Stars" last April.
Donto James, who is CEO of an addiction-recovery home in Riverside, California, has said James is also suffering speech difficulties, but the cause of that is unknown at this time.
He believes that James' ailments may be to blame for the highly publicized tongue lashing James laid on Beyoncé Knowles after the young singer performed James' signature hit tune "At Last" during President Barack Obama's inauguration party last year.
Beyoncé played Etta James in the 2008 Tristar Pictures biopic, Cadillac Records, opposite stars Cedric the Entertainer, Mos Def and Eamonn Walker.
James, best known for her bluesy hit song, "At Last," fell ill after relapsing while undergoing rehabilitation treatment last month for addiction to prescription painkillers and over-the-counter medicines.
James' battle with drug addiction began during the 1970's when she began using heroin. For years, the 72 year-old chanteur drifted in and out of the Tarzana Rehabilitation Center, in Los Angeles. In 1988, at the age of 50, James finally kicked her drug habit after a stay at the Betty Ford Clinic in Palm Springs, Ca.
"She's been in a pretty big battle," said Donto.
Though James' music career began during the 1950's, she did not begin to receive awards or sincere recognition for her contribution to rhythm and blues music world. In 1993, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and released her tribute album "Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday" a tribute to Billie "Lady Day" Holiday the same year. James credits Holiday as being one of her biggest inspirations.
The album earned James her first Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance in 1994. The following year, James published her autobiography, A Rage to Survive.
The raspy voiced bluesette was on a roll. Her rendition of Muddy Waters "I Just Wanna Make Love to You", was used in television commercials and was a Top 10 hit in the UK in 1996.
The Black Urban Times
Donto James, the eldest son of 50's blues singer, Etta James, says his mother has been hospitalized at Riverside Community Hospital in Riverside, Ca for a number of ailments, the more serious one being sepsis, a very serious medical condition that the body develops in response to microbes in ones blood, urine lungs or skin.
James has been hospitalized for more than a week and though Donto says doctors are planning to discharge his mother "very soon" to a skilled nursing home for her after care treatment, he isn't so sure she is ready to leave the hospital.
Her son says that doctors believe James' most serious ailment may have been a recurrence of an urinary tract infection that James developed around the time she performed "At Last" on ABCs "Dancing with the Stars" last April.
Donto James, who is CEO of an addiction-recovery home in Riverside, California, has said James is also suffering speech difficulties, but the cause of that is unknown at this time.
He believes that James' ailments may be to blame for the highly publicized tongue lashing James laid on Beyoncé Knowles after the young singer performed James' signature hit tune "At Last" during President Barack Obama's inauguration party last year.
Beyoncé played Etta James in the 2008 Tristar Pictures biopic, Cadillac Records, opposite stars Cedric the Entertainer, Mos Def and Eamonn Walker.
James, best known for her bluesy hit song, "At Last," fell ill after relapsing while undergoing rehabilitation treatment last month for addiction to prescription painkillers and over-the-counter medicines.
James' battle with drug addiction began during the 1970's when she began using heroin. For years, the 72 year-old chanteur drifted in and out of the Tarzana Rehabilitation Center, in Los Angeles. In 1988, at the age of 50, James finally kicked her drug habit after a stay at the Betty Ford Clinic in Palm Springs, Ca.
"She's been in a pretty big battle," said Donto.
Though James' music career began during the 1950's, she did not begin to receive awards or sincere recognition for her contribution to rhythm and blues music world. In 1993, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and released her tribute album "Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday" a tribute to Billie "Lady Day" Holiday the same year. James credits Holiday as being one of her biggest inspirations.
The album earned James her first Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance in 1994. The following year, James published her autobiography, A Rage to Survive.
The raspy voiced bluesette was on a roll. Her rendition of Muddy Waters "I Just Wanna Make Love to You", was used in television commercials and was a Top 10 hit in the UK in 1996.
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