EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INTERVIEW: ER Star Deezer D Remembers DJ AM
Posted on Sep 03, 2009 @ 06:00AM - Add a comment
Deezer D, the rapper-turned actor who starred as Nurse Malik McGrath for 15 seasons on ER, reminisced with RadarOnline.com on Wednesday about DJ AM and how they knew each other. Deezer, whose real name is Dearon Thompson, had surgery in July to correct the same potentially deadly heart problem that killed John Ritter.
“It blew me away,” he told us about hearing the news of DJ AM’s (real name Adam Goldstein) death. Deezer met DJ AM when he was deejaying at an ER celebration, and the two became close. DJ AM even helped Deezer find a DJ for his wedding, since he would be performing in Vegas during Deezer’s nuptuals.
EXCLUSIVE: Grateful Deezer D Out Of Hospital After Major Heart Surgery
Posted on Jul 21, 2009 @ 11:58AM - 1 comment
Deezer D is out of the hospital and happy to be alive.
The entertainer, who played Nurse Malik McGrath on NBC's iconic medical drama ER, is out of the hospital after a six-hour surgery last week to correct potentially fatal heart problems (the same that killed funnyman John Ritter six years ago).
The actor, whose real name is Dearon Thompson, told RadarOnline.com, said that his colleagues from the defunct hospital drama were his base when his health problems -- needing an aorta replacement and leaking heart valve fixed -- surfaced.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: E.R. Star Deezer D Set For Heart Surgery To Correct "Same Problem That Killed John Ritter"
Posted on Jul 10, 2009 @ 06:31PM - 4 comments
Deezer D, the actor and rap star who played Nurse Malik McGrath for 188 episodes through 15 seasons on ER, is himself now hospitalized and awaiting heart surgery.
"I'm just praying and God is watching over me," he told RadarOnline.com in an exclusive interview. Deezer D, whose real name is Dearon Thompson, explained that he had been experiencing recurring pneumonia for the last year, and he had "over 10 episodes of heart failure in the last eight months alone."
On July 7, he saw a new cardiologist who finally found the problem. "I have a heart valve that is leaking and the aorta had expanded to way beyond what it is supposed to be. As soon as the doctor identified what was going on, he put me in here."
The aorta is the largest artery in the body and carries blood away from the heart to all the other arteries. "The problem with my aorta is the same thing that killed John Ritter," Deezer D said. "I am so grateful that my doctor found it in time."
Ritter died in 2003. His aortic condition was undiagnosed and he died in a hospital emergency room.
RadarOnline.com was first with the news of Deezer D's surgery earlier today.
Deezer D will have the aorta replaced and the valve fixed in during surgery scheduled for July 14. He expects to remain hospitalized for about seven days following the surgery.
"What I was going through for the last year - that was scary," Deezer D said. "I'm fearless about the surgery."
EXCLUSIVE: ER Actor Hospitalized
Posted on Jul 10, 2009 @ 01:40PM - 1 comment
Dearon Thompson, who played series regular Malik McGrath on ER, has been hospitalized in Los Angeles, RadarOnline.com has confirmed exclusively. Thompson, also known as rapper Deezer D, is scheduled to have surgery on Tuesday.
A source close to Thompson says he will undergo heart surgery and is currently “in good spirits.” Thompson confirmed the news to friends via e-mail saying: “I have my HEART SURGERY on TUES. Thanks for all your PRAYERS LOVE y’all.”
On ER, his character was a source of comic relief on the medical drama. Despite his foray into acting, Thompson continued his music career, most recently releasing the album Delayed, But Not Denied in August 2008.
