Soul singer Alexander O’Neal had just returned home from a nearly two-week stay in the ICU when his Minnesota apartment caught fire, according to his wife.
O’Neal and his wife and manager, Cynthia O’Neal, were hospitalized on Friday morning, Dec. 5, after a blaze broke out at their Burnsville, Minn., apartment, TMZ.com and local NBC affiliate KARE 11 reported. The fire began in a third-floor unit around 1:30 a.m., according to fire officials.
Cynthia was released quickly, she told TMZ, while her husband — photographed by KARE 11 being loaded into an ambulance — remained hospitalized for lung testing.
The Minnesota musician had returned to the apartment only hours earlier following treatment for a rare bacterial pneumonia and an enlarged heart. Cynthia said he had been on life support during the nearly two-week stay.
The cause of the fire, which destroyed four units, remains under investigation. KARE 11 reported that other residents have since returned to their homes.
I hope that you get better real soon! I really enjoy your music.