The coronavirus pandemic that popped up globally in 2019 and 2020 caught much of the world
by surprise.
It didn't take long to learn that even celebrities aren't immune to coronavirus, as several high-profile
actors, athletes, and politicians tested positive.
Although she'd been practicing social distancing at her home in London, Marianne Faithfull
still came down with a cold.
To that end, in order to take sensible precautions, the iconic singer checked herself into the
hospital to get herself tested for COVID-19 — and received a positive diagnosis.
In addition to being diagnosed with COVID-19, Faithfull also developed pneumonia, which
can be a complication of the virus.
Furthermore, because Faithfull is over the age of 65, she's especially vulnerable to
complications of coronavirus, according to the CDC.
On April 3, 2020, musician Christopher Cross took to the internet to reveal that he'd tested
positive for the coronavirus.
He wrote in a Facebook post,
"I'm not in the habit of discussing medical issues on social media.
But I do so in hope this will help other people to understand how serious and how contagious
this illness is."
He added that this was perhaps the worst sickness he'd ever experienced.
The Grammy-winning artist then implored people not to fall for conspiracy theories or to
spread the idea that COVID-19 is a hoax.
He also advised people to follow the protocol set forth by the CDC in order to stop the
spread of the virus.
On April 4, 2020, the world learned that actor Jay Benedict had succumbed to coronavirus,
via a tweet from his management team.
They wrote,
"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our dear client Jay Benedict,
who this afternoon lost his battle with COVID-19."
Benedict was known for his work in films such as The Dark Knight Rises and Aliens.
He would have celebrated his 69th birthday on April 11, 2020.
Benedict was remembered fondly by several celebrities on social media, including actor
Pierce Brosnan, who wrote on Instagram,
"He was a courageous man of handsome life force, that shone its light in every room
he walked into, down every road he traveled."
Unfortunately, individuals who are over the age of 65 are more likely than their younger
counterparts to be severely impacted by COVID-19.
Sadly, legendary singer-songwriter John Prine fell into that category and tested positive
for coronavirus.
His family shared the news on social media, explaining that Prine had a "sudden onset"
of symptoms and had been hospitalized.
The post was overwhelmed with comments sending support and healing energy.
Unfortunately, Prine passed away from complications of coronavirus on April 7, 2020, according
to Rolling Stone.
He was 73 years old.
When Real Housewife Jennifer Aydin started feeling under the weather, she had her husband
pick up a test for the coronavirus, even though she didn't have a fever.
But sure enough, she tested positive, and she suffered from a variety of symptoms.
She wrote in an Instagram post,
"My days haven't been so bad, aside from a lot of fatigue and sleeping.
At night is when it's the worst for me because of the mix of sweating and chills."
Fortunately, it didn't take too long for Aydin to feel better, as she was on the mend by
the tenth day.
Aydin also reminded her followers to stay positive.
"Stay safe, be well.
We're all in this together."
Reality television star Todd Chrisley may know best, but that didn't stop him from catching
COVID-19.
His daughter Savannah shared the news on social media, saying that she talked her father into
going to urgent care, where he was tested.
"Dad was diagnosed with the coronavirus about 2.5 weeks ago..and I have never been so scared
in my life."
A week later, Chrisley had his family take him to the hospital, as he had become extremely
sick and needed medical help.
Thankfully Chrisley rallied and was able to discuss his battle against coronavirus on
his podcast, Chrisley Confessions.
The Chrisley Knows Best star added that he was the sickest he'd ever been in his life.
In early March 2020, all of the shows on Broadway went dark in an effort to stop the spread
of coronavirus.
But that didn't stop actor Danny Burstein from coming down with a bad case of COVID-19,
which landed him in the emergency room.
The theater actor penned an essay about his experience for The Hollywood Reporter,
"I'd been coughing up blood for two to three days.
It was when I was on my hands and knees in the shower that I knew it was time to go to
the hospital."
Once in the competent care of doctors and nurses at St. Luke's hospital, Burstein realized
just how bad the pandemic was.
Fortunately, Burstein made it out to the other side and returned to his home to finish recuperating.
When country star Sturgill Simpson fell ill on March 13, 2020, he had his wife take him
to the hospital to get tested for coronavirus.
However, at that time, the doctor who treated him said he didn't qualify for testing, despite
the fact that he'd been on tour in Europe and was showing symptoms of COVID-19.
But when Simpson was able to access a test a month later, he jumped at the chance to
be on the safe side.
He wrote in an Instagram post,
"Yesterday on Friday April 10th, after almost one month without any symptoms, I received
a call from the Nashville CDC stating that my test resulted in a positive detection for
Covid-19."
Fortunately, his wife tested negative.
According to the CDC, it's possible to be infected with the coronavirus but show no
symptoms and never get sick.
That was the case for news anchor George Stephanopoulos, who got tested for the virus after his wife,
Ali Wentworth, was diagnosed with COVID-19.
He revealed to Good Morning America that he was basically asymptomatic.
"I've never had a fever, never had chills, never had a headache, never had a cough, never
had shortness of breath."
That's in stark contrast to Wentworth's experience, as she fell severely ill because of the coronavirus.
On April 10, 2020, legendary producer Kenny Edmonds, AKA Babyface, celebrated his birthday.
But that was also the day he shared less festive news on social media: He and his family tested
positive for coronavirus.
While Edmonds didn't go into much detail about what symptoms he had or what struggles his
family endured, he did update his fans about the status of their recovery, writing,
"I'm happy to report we have now tested negative and are on our way back to full health."
Rather than dwell on the pandemic or give advice to his followers, Edmonds instead announced
that he would participate in an Instagram beat battle with producer Teddy Riley.
He wrote,
"Let's show them what Hip Hop/R&B music really means to the world."
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