Korn Singer's Mystery Illness Finally Diagnosed

06/13/06 6:00pm

by Scott Bryson (CHARTattack)

ChartAttack reported yesterday that Korn frontman Jonathan Davis was hospitalized over the weekend with a mystery illness that forced the band to perform with guest singers at Saturday's U.K. Download Festival.

In a statement on the band's website, Davis has now announced that he's suffering from a blood disorder called immune thrombocytopenic purpura — in which a low blood-platelet count prohibits the blood from clotting as it should. The immune system then attacks and destroys the body's own platelets for unknown reasons. It's considered a rare condition and has been known to be caused by viral infection or the use of certain medications.

"I started getting these weird bruises all over my body about 2 weeks ago," Davis wrote. "I was getting very weak after the shows so I saw a doctor in London Friday.

"He took some blood tests and when the results came in, they rushed me to the hospital. It turned out that I have ITP... a blood infection where, because of an allergic reaction I had to some medication, my blood platelets were really low. If I continued to headbang onstage, I could have had a brain hemorrhage and dropped dead on the spot."

While most people are supposed to have between 140 and 400 platelets in their blood cells, Davis says he had five. He's been ordered to remain under the hospital's supervision until they can return his platelet count to a more reasonable level. Davis is now able to walk a bit, but is unable to perform or travel. He says that doctors expect him to recover within a few weeks.

Korn has cancelled the remaining shows of their European tour, but they still plan to headline this year's 30-city Family Values Tour which kicks off July 27 in Virginia Beach, Va.

"We were truly looking forward to playing the rest of our overseas dates," Korn's members said in a joint statement issued on Monday. "So we have tremendous regrets about not being able to connect with our fans, whom we know are the best in the world.

"We want to thank them for their understanding and loyal support — and, at the same time, let them know that we will see them when we return to Europe."