Pop star Selena Gomez reveals she has the immune disorder lupus and underwent chemotherapy

The Associated Press
October 8, 2015 at 7:03PM
Selena Gomez in Beverly Hills, Calif., Sept. 14, 2015.
Selena Gomez in Beverly Hills, Calif., Sept. 14, 2015. (New York Times/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

NEW YORK — Selena Gomez has revealed that she's battling the debilitating immune system disorder lupus.

"I was diagnosed with lupus, and I've been through chemotherapy," the 23-year-old singer told Billboard magazine in an interview published Thursday.

Gomez acted in "Wizards of Waverly Place" before becoming a pop star. She says she was treated in late 2013 and early 2014 after she canceled the Asian and Australian legs of her Stars Dance tour.

Lupus causes fibrous tissue and inflammation of internal organs, skin rashes and joint pain. It affects women nine times more than men. Organs affected by lupus include the kidneys, heart and lungs.

Gomez's song hits include "Come & Get It" and "Hit the Lights." She has also appeared in the films "Rudderless" and "Spring Breakers."

about the writer

about the writer

More from Minnesota Star Tribune

See More
card image
J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE, ASSOCIATED PRESS/The Minnesota Star Tribune

The "winners" have all been Turkeys, no matter the honor's name.

In this photo taken Monday, March 6, 2017, in San Francisco, released confidential files by The University of California of a sexual misconduct case, like this one against UC Santa Cruz Latin Studies professor Hector Perla is shown. Perla was accused of raping a student during a wine-tasting outing in June 2015. Some of the files are so heavily redacted that on many pages no words are visible. Perla is one of 113 UC employees found to have violated the system's sexual misconduct policies in rece