A Go Fund Me campaign has been created to help former MTV VJ and legendary hip-hop DJ and radio personality, Doctor Dre, to raise money for his post-op medical expenses.
Dre, whose birth name is Andre Brown, had his leg amputated due to type 2 diabetes. His health took a turn for the worse on Memorial Day when he slipped and fell down a flight of stairs at his home, leaving his ankle badly injured.
“The diabetes has already caused a serious decline in the function of that ankle, but this new injury required hospitalization and surgery,” reads a message on the Go Fund Me account, which was launched earlier in the month and hopes to raise $500,000. “On June 17, his foot was amputated. On June 24, his right leg was amputated up to the knee. He has since been fitted with a prosthetic, and is now learning how to walk with it. If the good Doctor remains true to his unsinkable form, he may someday be running marathons using that prosthetic.”
Dre, 56, has been living in a rehab facility since leaving the hospital on July 1. Because his current house doesn’t accommodate someone with his health issues, Dre and his wife plan to purchase a new home. “One with all the facilities on one floor, no stairs, ramps for a wheelchair, and wide-access doors.”
The Long Island native made his mark in radio and television, first as a recording artists in the early 1980s. He went on to become a hip-hop DJ and toured with the Beastie Boys during the 1986 Raising Hell Tour. His big break came as co-host of Yo! MTV Raps alongside Ed Lover. The show turned him into a household name and even led to a guest appearance on an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Ed and Dre helmed Yo! MTV Raps from 1989 until 1995, before parlaying their television success into radio. The duo hosted Hot 97’s morning show from 1993 until 1998, followed by a yearlong stint on Los Angeles radio station The Beat, and a run on New York’s Power 105 from 2003 to 2006.