Run-DMC's Darryl McDaniels Hospitalized. Underwent SURGERY TODAY!

Darryl McDaniels, better known as rapper DMC from the group Run-DMC, has been hospitalized in New Jersey, his rep tells PEOPLE. Doctors examined McDaniels, who was suffering from pain and swelling in his left arm, and discovered two major blood clots. He is undergoing surgery Friday. McDaniels, 44, had been scheduled to perform Saturday at the AVP Beach Volleyball Tournament; the appearance was canceled.

Since Run-DMC disbanded in 2002, McDaniels has kept busy with a solo career. He was featured in the video game Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, and is working on his second solo album, tentatively titled The Next Level.

Source: PEOPLE

BARRY MANILOW NOT SICK, NOT DYING!

BARRY MANILOW's aides have hit back at shock U.S. tabloid reports the crooner is wasting away. The crooner appears skeletal and frail in recent photos of him taken at the beach in Malibu, California. But his publicist has dismissed stories Manilow is dying and weighs in at less than 100 pounds (45.3 kilograms). A spokesperson says, "He's pretty trim but 100 pounds? Give us a break... and no, he's not ill." Manilow is currently rehearsing his one-man show in Las Vegas.

NATALIE COLE DIAGNOSED WITH HEPATITIS C!

Natalie Cole’s representative has confirmed that Natalie Cole was diagnosed with hepatitis C. Cole was forced to pull out of a concert in California last week due to the chronic illness. Hepatitis C is a blood-borne disease which means it is spread through contact with infected blood such as blood transfusions, using dirty needles, body piercings, tattoos, or in Natalie’s case, by snorting cocaine. Sexual transmission of hep C is rare except in cases where an individual is infected with HIV.

NOW AMY WINEHOUSE'S DAD HAS FALLEN ILL!!

AMY WINEHOUSE's father MITCH has been struck down by a mystery illness and is facing an agonising wait to be diagnosed. He was taken ill last week (Beg07Jul08) after taking time out from helping his troubled daughter deal with her own issues and visited a doctor on Thursday (10Jul08) to find out the cause of his ill health. The stress of his daughter's wayward lifestyle has caused him to suffer panic attacks, leading him to collapse at his London home last week according to U.K. tabloid reports. Winehouse, who spoke out about his daughter's problems to U.K.'s Sky news at the weekend (12Jul08), tells British newspaper The Sun, "I'm awaiting the results of tests.

I'm going away for a few days and we will see what happens after that." But a friend of the singer's father says, "Mitch isn't well. He has been taking a lot on and has been dedicating himself to trying to improve Amy's health. But his own health has suffered as a result. "He has been having stress-related panic attacks and collapsed at home last week. The doctor did some tests and told him he needed to take time out or he was seriously risking his own well-being. Amy is devastated and told him to get away and relax. "She told him not to worry about her - but that is easier said than done." Mitch has been at his daughter's side following a string of ill health, which he believes stems from her drug abuse. Most recently, the star was hospitalised in June (08) and was diagnosed with traces of deadly lung disease emphysema.

AILING ROCKER MICKEY MARS CAN'T MOVE HIS HEAD.

MOTLEY CRUE star MICK MARS is a prisoner of his own home when he's not on the road with his band - because a debilitating form of arthritis has left him unable to drive anywhere. The guitarist was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) when he was 19 and reveals the degenerative disease has left him unable to move his head. He tells Blender magazine, "If I could go places I would, but I'm stuck.

"This stuff I have won't allow me to move my head, so I can't drive. It's quite an inconvenience." And the aging rocker reveals his condition is shrinking him. He adds, "This AS c**p has shrunk me down really small. I used to be almost five-foot-nine, and I'm just a little over five-three now. "It stinks... I'm just squashed." Remember, they were all on Larry King last month and just finished the heavt metal fest in Canada.

MEL B IN WHEELCHAIR AT LAX ARRIVAL FROM U.K!

SPICE GIRLS star MELANIE BROWN has sparked fears for her health after she was photographed arriving at Los Angeles International airport in a wheelchair. The singer was snapped holding her baby daughter Angel and being pushed through the terminal at LAX by a member of airport staff. A frail Brown had just disembarked a flight from her native U.K. to L.A. this weekend (21-22Jun08) and was later seen being helped to feet by her husband Stephen Belafonte. The star was photographed clutching her stomach and being supported by Belafonte as she tentatively made her way to a waiting limousine.

DIRTY PRETTY THINGS SCRAP ANOTHER GIG!

LATEST: British rockers DIRTY PRETTY THINGS have been forced to scrap another gig as frontman CARL BARAT recovers in hospital. The singer checked into a clinic in the U.K. on Tuesday morning (17Jun08) suffering from severe stomach pains. He was subsequently diagnosed with acute pancreatitis.

The Bang Bang You're Dead hitmakers were forced to scrap an upcoming charity gig in London on Friday (20Jun08) and now they have cancelled their planned appearance at Saturday's (21Jun08) Rock A Field event in Luxembourg. The band have issued a statement regarding Barat's illness, apologising to fans and insisting the singer is on the road to recovery. It reads, "Carl is continuing to rest in hospital and we are passing on everyone's kind words and good wishes, which are helping immensely."

EXHAUSTED BLIGE SCRAPS AUSTRALIAN TOUR!

MARY J BLIGE has cancelled what was to be her first Australasian tour, citing exhaustion. The weary R&B star, who is currently performing dates in Britain, will not be making the trip to Australia this weekend as planned, for shows that were billed to start in Perth on 10 June (08). Instead, the dates in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland and Wellington in New Zealand will now take place in November (08). In a statement released on Friday (06Jun08), tour promoter Michael Chugg said he accepted Blige was too tired to make the trip Down Under at this time.

He reveals Blige's "overwhelming tour schedule" has left her desperate for a rest and he agreed it would not be feasible to proceed with the tour as planned. He explains, "We won't risk health complications or undue stress for the artist." Meanwhile, in a separate statement, Blige says, "I am so disappointed that I won't be able to make it to Australia and New Zealand for the June tour as planned. "I want to thank all of my wonderful fans who supported the announcement of my first tour in these countries and I can't tell you how excited I was to come down in June and put on a show for you all. Postponing these shows has been an extremely difficult decision for me and I am sincerely sorry that I will not be able to fulfil my tour commitments."

HEALTH WARNING FORCED MISSY TO DIET.

Rapper MISSY ELLIOTT trimmed down her bulky figure when a doctor told her she was hurtling towards an early grave. The Get Ur Freak On hitmaker was stunned when a medic urged her to lose weight or risk tipping her high blood pressure problems over the edge - because fans and record company bosses never had a problem with her size. She reveals, "The reason I lost weight is because I have high blood pressure. I take two blood pressure pills a day. "My doctor told me, 'If you wanna be around , you're gonna have to lose weight.' So that was my focus." There she is back home in Nigeria onstage at the ThisDay Music festival in 2006.

ONGOING HEALTH ISSUES: No more Vegas shows for Toni Braxton!

LATEST: TONI BRAXTON's Las Vegas residency has been scrapped after a string of heath problems. The singer - who has a heart condition - was in the latter stages of a two-year stint at the Flamingo hotel but was forced to postpone a series of shows last month (Apr08) after falling ill.

Her stage comeback was subsequently rescheduled twice and the shows were due to resume again on 6 June (08). But now the hotel has announced the rest of Braxton's residency - which was due to end in August (08) - has been scrapped altogether. A representative for Grammy-winning Braxton refused to comment on her medical condition.

GET WELL SOON: Toni Braxton is NOT coming back to stage soon!

LATEST: TONI BRAXTON's Las Vegas stage return has been delayed again after the singer cancelled a string of shows last month (Apr08) due to a prolonged illness. The R&B singer, who has a heart condition, was set to return to the stage on 6 May (08), but has put off headlining her Toni Braxton: Revealed show for at least another month, according to reports. The star scrapped shows at the Flamingo Las Vegas on 7 April (08) after she was briefly hospitalised with chest pains.

The 40-year-old is said to be desperate to get back to the show as her run at the Las Vegas venue is due to end in August (08). A representative for Grammy-winning Braxton refuses to comment on her medical condition.

GET WELL SOON: BROKEN FOOT WRECKS MYA'S BROADWAY DREAMS!!

R&B star MYA's Broadway dreams have taken a big hit - she has been forced to postpone her debut in CHICAGO with a broken foot. The Grammy Award-winning star was slated to begin a nine-week run as Velma Kelly in the hit musical on 12 May (08). Producer Barry Weissler says, "Speaking for the entire Chicago creative team, we all wish her a speedy recovery, and look forward to experiencing her portrayal of Velma Kelly as soon as possible." We too at hiphossip and I was planning to interview her on the play. I will be talking to her publicist tonite!

NO WAY: Alicia Keys scraps two shows on new tour!!

. Alicia Keys has canceled two shows on her newly launched North American tour because of swollen vocal cords, her record label said on Wednesday. Better not be the Toronto leg. The 27-year-old R&B singer scrapped Tuesday's show in Pittsburgh, the third stop of the tour, and has also pulled the plug on Thursday's concert in Cleveland. Her vocal cords are swollen. Alicia!!!! Get well soon as I wanna meet you in June with Neyo here for my short 3 question interview and photos. Above is Alicia and her fiance. I hear Alicia reads and loves my blog! More here....

Mariah Carey is back to her teenage weight!

Now fellas, you can touch her body! The singer, 38, reveals she can now wear her high school wardrobe. She says, "My jean size went down to my 10th grade size." As well as rigorous workouts, Carey has cut out fatty foods and items cooked in butter, which she insists hasn't been easy - because it meant giving up her beloved macaroni and cheese. She adds, "It broke my heart... That's the thing that I have difficulty letting go of because that's comfort food."

All Toni Braxton's April Vegas shows now cancelled.

The Flamingo Las Vegas says Braxton's show will remain dark this week while the 40-year-old Grammy winner has more medical tests following her April 7 hospitalization for chest pain. Braxton was released the following day, but last week's shows were canceled. She will be back for the May shows. Refunds are being offered.

Toni Braxton is doing better after being hospitalized!

“Braxton was admitted to St. Rose Dominican Hospital late last night after her show at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino. FOX 5 in Vegas reports the diva is in good condition. Braxton suffers from pericarditis, an inflammation of the sack surrounding the heart. She learned she had the condition after the birth of her second son. Braxton has been headlining a Las Vegas show at the hotel since 2006. Tomorrow’s show could be canceled, but that won’t be confirmed until this afternoon.” She has been stressed lately as you know her son Diezel has autism which I wrote about here last week. I just sent an e-mail to my pal Gillian Sheldon, Exec Producer at TMZ about that tasteless headline. "Unbreak my heart attack"

Let me CLEAR MY THROAT: Frenchie and Leona Lewis both face throat surgery!

Leona Lewis is a damn good singer and she is not taking chances on that voice yet! In 2003, Frenchie Davis was dropped from "Idol" because of a previous appearance on an adult Web site. In contrast, the Fox talent show took no action this season when contestant David Hernandez's stint as a nightclub stripper was revealed or when racy photos of Antonella Barba surfaced last season on the Internet. We know Fox is a fraud but this story is about Frenchie facing throat surgery to remove a vocal cord polyp. Same goes for Leona Lewis, the currently hot British R&B singer. She is prone to severe bouts of tonsillitis which are threatening to hamper her singing career!