Representatives for R&B singer Christopher Williams are denying that he is in a coma — a rumor that began following a plea for prayers earlier this week by fellow artist Al. B Sure!
Williams was, however, reportedly suffering from an undisclosed medical condition that was acknowledged on his social media accounts Tuesday night.
“Contrary to reports on social media, Christopher Williams is NOT in a coma and is in stable condition and resting comfortably,” read a statement alongside a photo of the star onstage, according to Newsweek. “Thank you for all of your prayers and well wishes.”
The message offered no indication of what might be ailing the 54-year-old star.
A day earlier, Al. B Sure! — whose real name is Albert Joseph Brown III — posted an old photo of he and Williams on Instagram, along with a caption that read: “Please pray for my better looking twin brother in a coma.”
The two singers are actually cousins, according to Essence magazine.
The Instagram post by Sure! prompted an outpouring of support for the singer from the likes of Big Daddy Kane, Stephanie Mills, Bill Bellamy and many others.
Actress and singer Porscha Coleman said on her Instagram account: “Please pray for this wonderful soul & my dear friend, @officialchristopherwilliams ... He’s currently hospitalized & not doing well.”
Williams was a huge R&B star beginning in the late 1980s and throughout most of the 1990s. His 1989 debut album “Adventures in Paradise” featured the hits “Talk To Myself” and “Promises, Promises.”
Two years later, in 1991, he was cast as Kareem Akbar in the urban crime drama “New Jack City” alongside Wesley Snipes, Allen Payne, Judd Nelson, Ice T and Chris Rock. His biggest hit, “I’m Dreamin’,” was featured on the movie soundtrack and went on to become a No. 1 single on Billboard’s R&B charts for many weeks.
He reached the pinnacle of his success in 1992 with the release of his second album “Changes” which includes the song “Every Little Thing You Do,” and he scored several more hits on his third album, “Not a Perfect Man,” released in 1995.
Williams comes from a family pedigree of vocalists, including legendary singer Ella Fitzgerald, who was his aunt.
He has three children, one of whom was mothered by actress Stacey Dash in 1990.
