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Celebrities with Lupus

by Jeri Jewett-Tennant, MPH
for About.com

Updated August 28, 2008

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board

Former first lady Barbara Bush

Getty Images

Lupus doesn’t distinguish between rich and poor, or race and age – and in one famous case, species. Anyone can get lupus. And several lupus sufferers have made a name for themselves in the world of entertainment, sports and politics.

The most famous lupus sufferer is probably Michael Jackson, the "King of Pop" and a constant tabloid subject. He was diagnosed with the disease in 1984, shortly after his hit album "Thriller" was tearing up the charts.

Another singer, Seal (real name Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel) battled discoid lupus when he was a child. His trademark facial scarring is a result of the disease.

Even Millie, former president George H. Bush’s dog, had lupus. One of her owners -- Barbara Bush -- shared an autoimmune disease.

More Celebrities with Lupus:


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