American singer Justin Timberlake says he has been diagnosed with Lyme disease and has been coping with health issues that have affected him physically and mentally.
“Living with this can be relentlessly debilitating,” he said in a lengthy message to fans posted to Instagram on Wednesday.
The 44-year old said he wanted to “shed some light about what he’s been up against behind the scenes” on his The Forget Tomorrow World Tour, which began on April 29, 2024, in Vancouver and wrapped up in Istanbul on Tuesday.
Fans had recently criticized Timberlake for low-energy performances at recent concerts in Europe.
He said that he had dealt with a “massive amount of nerve pain” or at times felt “crazy fatigue or sickness” while on stage during the tour.
Lyme disease is caused by a bacterial infection that is usually the result of of a tick bite. The illness progresses in stages.
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, early signs of the illness can include fever, fatigue and muscle and joint aches, while later-stage symptoms can include pain in bones and nerves, weakness, tingling or loss of sensation in limbs, swelling of the brain and spinal cord, memory loss and the inability to think clearly.
“I was faced with a personal decision. Stop touring? Or, keep going and figure it out,” he wrote.
“I decided the joy that performing brings me far outweighs the fleeting stress my body was feeling. I’m so glad I kept going.”
The former member of the boy band NSYNC thanked his fans for supporting him on his most recent tour and throughout the years.
“Your energy and love continues to humble me,” he said.
The SexyBack and Mirrors singer said he’s generally a private person and was “reluctant” to speak about his health conditions but that he’s “trying to be more transparent about my struggles so that they aren’t misinterpreted.”
He added that he wants to do his part to help others living with the disease.
Dr. Samir Gupta, a Toronto-based respirologist, is warning of an increase in tick bites and tick-borne illnesses across Canada. Ticks are parasites that feed on the blood of wild animals and are known to transmit bacteria through bites.
