Justin Timberlake, who just wrapped his world tour on Wednesday, revealed he has been battling Lyme disease.
The pop singer said he decided to share his diagnosis “to shed some light on what I’ve been up against behind the scenes.”
His post also came after he received backlash online from fans who attended the Electric Castle festival in Romania earlier this month. In TikTok videos posted by several attendees, the Grammy winner is seen telling the crowd to “sing, c’mon” while performing his hit, “Can’t Stop the Feeling.” Some expressed disappointment at the performance, commenting in their posts that they felt Timberlake “barely sang.”
“If you’ve experienced this disease or know someone who has — then you’re aware: living with this can be relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically,” he said in an Instagram post on Thursday.
Timberlake said his diagnosis came as a shock, but explained why he would experience “a massive amount of nerve pain,” fatigue or sickness while performing. He kicked off his “The Forget Tomorrow World Tour” in April 2024 in Vancouver and wrapped Wednesday in Turkey.
He said he weighed the decision to stop the tour, but ultimately “decided the joy that performing brings me far outweighs the fleeting stress my body was feeling.”
“I’m so glad I kept going,” he continued, saying that the tour has been “the most fun, emotional, gratifying, physically demanding, and, at times, grueling experience.”
“I’m so glad I kept going,” he posted. “Not only did I prove my mental tenacity to myself but, I now have so many special moments with all of you that I will never forget. I was reluctant to talk about this because I was always raised to keep something like this to yourself. But I am trying to be more transparent about my struggles so that they aren’t misinterpreted.”
After Timberlake revealed his diagnosis, many fans expressed their support in the comments. “Rooting for your healing familia, massive of you to forge ahead in the midst of it all for the love of the music and your audience,” wrote fellow artist Miguel.
Lyme disease is spread to people through the bite of blacklegged ticks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, headache and a skin rash. It can spread to the heart, joints and nervous system if left untreated.
