Between her powerful voice and her impressive aerial acrobatics, Pink is a force to be reckoned with, but off stage she has also had her share of health issues.
The “Who Knew” singer canceled two shows in Tacoma, Washington in October 2023, citing an Instagram statement citing “family medical issues” that required her “immediate attention.”
Pink (whose real name is Alecia Moore) didn’t specifically say what the situation was, but a few days later she postponed two more shows in Vancouver, Canada, due to a respiratory infection.
“My doctor has advised me not to perform at the Vancouver shows on Friday and Saturday,” she wrote via Instagram.
Keep scrolling for a look back at Pink’s health struggles over the years:
April 2020
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Pink revealed that she and her then 3-year-old son Jameson, with whom she shares a child, Carey Hartrecently tested positive for COVID-19. (The duo also have a daughter, Willow, whom they welcomed in 2011.)
During an Instagram Live chat with her friend and author Jen PastiloffPink said she and Jameson had been “very, very sick” and that she had “never prayed so much in her life.”
Later that month, the Grammy winner also spoke to Ellen DeGeneres about the experience. “It was terrifying at one point,” Pink told the talk show host during the virtual chat. “I’ve had really bad asthma, to the point where I would end up in the hospital sometimes. I would wake up in the middle of the night and I couldn’t breathe. I had to use my nebulizer for the first time in 30 years. I couldn’t live without it. That’s when I started getting really scared.”
Pink later revealed that she had rewritten her will while she had the virus.
“It was really bad. … I thought it was over for us,” she said during a May 2021 appearance at the Heart radio show. “I called my best friend and said, ‘I just want you to tell Willow how much I love her.’”
December 2020
Pink recovered from COVID, but the virus wasn’t the last health issue she faced in 2020.
“As if surviving covid wasn’t enough for this shit sandwich of a year!” the Pennsylvania native wrote alongside a photo of herself in a doctor’s office. “Well I got my stitches out drying that wine glass, that went well. Then I recovered from my very first staph infection for no reason (cry for help?) (right knee was lonely?) so I thought I was going to break my ankle!”
Pink added that she injured her ankle while “running down the stairs.”
November 2021
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The “So What” musician opened up about her ongoing recovery from hip surgery.
“It was a brutal first week of tears and painkiller depression, ulcers from the meds and constant fevers,” Pink wrote via Instagram before thanking her husband for taking such good care of her. “He brought me coffee in the shower, lugged my 100-pound CPM machines everywhere, dried my tears, made me oatmeal, kept track of my medications, gave me my phone charger, hooked up my compression machines, took my temperature, made the bed and talked me down from the edge.”
Pink added that it was “humiliating for a very independent person like me to become physically incapacitated and dependent,” but said she “learned the gift of accepting help.”
May 2022
In addition to updates on her physical well-being, Pink has also been candid about her mental health.
“I used to get really bad panic attacks and I didn’t know what was happening. I didn’t have anyone to talk to about it and I didn’t know what to do,” she shared in an Instagram video. “I felt like I was having a stroke, stroke symptoms, it was terrifying.”
The artist noted that after “a couple of EKGs” showed there was nothing physically wrong with her, she began strengthening her “spiritual toolbox” to deal with the panic attacks.
“I started going to a therapist, and then I started doing all this stuff,” she said, mentioning “full moon ceremonies just for women” and meditation. “I started learning all these steps of how to take care of myself. I had never been taught how to take care of myself.”
February 2023
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Pink told Variety that she gained 16 kilos during the COVID-19 lockdown and struggled to lose the weight straight away, due to ‘not only the hip surgery, but also the replacement of two discs in my neck’.
Despite the long recovery process, the songwriter said she felt like the “bionic woman” after the surgery and has since lost weight. “I’m stronger than I’ve ever been in my life,” she said.
October 2023
Days after canceling two shows in Tacoma, Washington due to “family medical circumstances,” Pink postponed two additional shows in Vancouver, Canada, due to a health crisis of her own.
“I am so sorry to report that I have a respiratory infection and my doctor has advised me to not perform the Vancouver shows on Friday and Saturday,” she wrote via Instagram. “Live Nation is working on new dates to reschedule the shows. I am so excited to perform in Vancouver and put on an incredible show for everyone. In the meantime, I wish everyone good health and send lots of love. xoxo Pink.”
October 2023
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Pink reflected on the near-fatal overdose she suffered at age 16.
“On Thanksgiving Day in 1995, I was at a rave and OD’d,” she recalled during a 60 minutes interview. “I was on — oh, man — ecstasy, angel dust, crystal, everything.”
The pop star said the experience convinced her to quit drugs. “That’s when I was done,” she said. “Done. Too much.”
Pink also spoke candidly about the circumstances that led to her going “off the rails” as a teenager.
“I grew up in a house where my parents were yelling at each other every day, throwing things, hating each other, and then I got into drugs,” she explained. “I was selling drugs. And then I got kicked out of the house. I dropped out of high school.”
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July 2024
Pink made headlines when she abruptly canceled a concert. She cited her health as the reason, but did not specify what happened.
“I am so sorry that I have had to cancel my show in Bern this Wednesday,” she wrote via social media in July 2024. “I am doing everything I can to ensure I can perform for you every night, but after consulting with my doctor and exploring all available options, I have been told that I will not be able to go ahead with the show tomorrow.”
Alongside the message, Pink shared a black-and-white photo of herself onstage. “I was so excited to be with you guys and make memories with you guys and share our show with you guys and I’m so bummed we have to cancel,” she concluded. “Sending you all love and health and I really hope to see you again soon. P!nk xoxo.”
