Grammy-nominated ‘Don’t Mess With My Man’ singer Nivea reveals she has cancer: ‘Diagnosed with leukemia’
Grammy-nominated ‘Don’t Mess With My Man’ singer Nivea reveals she has cancer: ‘Diagnosed with leukemia’
Joey NolfiThu, July 23, 2026 at 2:45 PM UTC
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R&B singer NiveaCredit: Prince Williams/WireImageKey Points -
Grammy nominee Nivea has revealed that she was diagnosed with leukemia earlier this year.
The 44-year-old “Okay” and “Don’t Mess With My Man” performer opened up about her health in a new interview.
Nivea said she’s “grateful to God” for her life and is undergoing treatment.
Grammy-nominated “Don’t Mess With My Man” and “Okay” singer Nivea revealed that she has cancer.
The 44-year-old R&B singer opened up about her health in a new interview with Cadillac Chronicles (below), detailing when she learned about the diagnosis and how she’s coping.
In response to a question about what she’s grateful for, Nivea replied, “Oh my lamb. Well, first of all, I was diagnosed with leukemia earlier this year. I’m so grateful to God; I’ve been going through treatment and everything is going great so far, and I expect it to continue, amen, amen, amen!”
The performer said she’s “very grateful for life,” adding that, “It’s so cliché to say you don’t know the time or the hour, but it’s true. It helped me put a lot of things in perspective. I live in gratitude religiously. I’m just grateful for everything.”
Nivea confirmed that she’s “back into” music, 24 years after she released her biggest hit to date, “Don’t Mess With My Man,” which earned her a Grammy nomination and reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2002.
She also explained that she’s adding more hyphenates to her musical skills: “I’m going to school for audio engineering. I’ve always wanted to learn how to engineer and mix and engineer,” she said, in addition to “loving on my children and just being grateful and taking every opportunity that comes my way.”
In the comments section under the interview, rapper Rasheeda showed support for Nivea, commenting, “My girl,” while Nivea also replied to the positive sentiments fans expressed.
“Thank yall SO much for all the love wow!!!” Nivea replied.
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In addition to the aforementioned hits, Nivea also famously appeared on Mystikal’s 2000 hit “Danger (Been So Long),” which reached No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Nivea shares a son, Neal, with rap icon Lil Wayne. The pair were previously engaged before their relationship ultimately ended in 2010.
“I found out the day I was confirmed pregnant with our son that he had another one that should be expected three months ahead of ours,” the performer said in a 2019 interview with VLADTV, adding that she’s close with actress Lauren London, who also has a child with Lil Wayne.
At the time, she said: “It’s still a testament to the type of man [Lil Wayne] is because all of his baby mothers, we’re all cool with each other.”
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Outside of her signature hits, Nivea also appeared on the TV show The Parkers in 2003, years before a guest spot on the Peacock dating series Queens Court. Her most recent album, Mirrors, was released in 2019.
Watch Nivea discuss her cancer diagnosis in the video above.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
