Singer Kelly Price has broken her silence after being reported missing following her COVID-19 hospitalization.
In an exclusive interview with TMZ, the 48-year-old emotionally spoke about flatlining from COVID-19 complications and having been "disappointed" with the turn of events amid speculation she'd disappeared.
The 48-year-old told the outlet she was "never missing."
"I was never missing. I was in my home, being seen by doctors. First and foremost, the two people in the house who both have COVID, there was no visiting the house. We both had active COVID cases," the "Heartbreak Hotel" singer said.
"My family knew exactly where I was, and it's disappointing that things came to this. Even when it comes to my daughter, I feel like she was easily manipulated."
Despite her sister, Shanrae Price, claiming the singer's daughter was a child, the "Friend Of Mine" singer says her youngest daughter is 27 years old.
On Friday, her daughter, Jonia Rolle, spoke to CBS46 and told the outlet her mother was "fine" despite having been recently hospitalized for COVID-19.
The Grammy-nominated singer said that while being hospitalized, doctors "lost" her at one point.
"At some point, they lost me. I woke up, and a couple of days later, I remember a team of doctors standing around me asking if I knew what year it was," she recalled. "I died. I remember waking up in ICU and the doctor asking me what year it was."
Price said before admitting herself to the hospital, she suffered from COVID-19 for a week, and her partner was taking care of her. She said her conditions were "progressing in the wrong direction," and after taking care of her, she says her partner tested positive "within a week" after she caught it.
The "Ultralight Beam" singer became emotional and told the outlet she's still recovering before she can be "concert ready."
"I have a lot of rehabbing to do as I suffered a lot of internal damage before I am 'concert ready,'" she added.
The songwriter informed the outlet she's "facing an uphill battle" and has long COVID while beginning to tear up.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that many people may struggle with the aftermath of having contracted COVID-19 for extended periods of time. Long COVID is a "wide range of new, returning, or ongoing health problems people can experience four or more weeks after first being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19."
Shanrae appeared on Larry Reid Live, an Instagram-based entertainment program, where she said she hadn't heard from her sister "in months."
"My sister is a very visible person. We haven't heard anything from her in months," she said. "She was sick, and she was very sick with COVID. This is unlike her; no one has heard from her. I know everyone has their own opinion. I don't do stuff like this, but I will call in until we physically see my sister. We don't know anything, so I don't know who is calling in and saying what."
Shanrae also spoke to BNC News on Friday, claiming her sister's children are "young, upset, and scared," and how she feels the same way, pleading for her sister to be found.
Despite her sister's claims, the "Not My Daddy" singer says her relationship with her sister Shanrae has been "strained" for years, and she did not see her sister for a year since their mother's funeral.
"It hasn't been two months since I've seen my sister; it's been a year. I haven't been in the same room with her since my mother's funeral. Before that, we hadn't seen each other all pandemic long. This isn't new for us. We've been strained for a very long time," she expressed.
Her family has accused her partner, Terrell Babers, of keeping her from seeing her friends and family.
After a welfare check on Sept. 18, Price was reported missing after police found she wasn't at her place of residence. Police determined no foul play was evident after speaking with Babers.
Her attorney, Monica Ewing, is working on getting Price off of the missing persons list. When asked if the Billboard nominee is vaccinated, Ewing did not comment.
