Demi Lovato, like many, is praying for famed rapper DMX. The “Party Up (Up in Here)” artist was rushed to the hospital Friday, where he remains on life support, after suffering a heart attack brought on by an apparent drug overdose.
Lovato says the headlines brought her right back to 2018, the year when her own drug addiction nearly killed her.
Speaking Wednesday with TMZ Live, the “Anyone” singer admitted that she continues to struggle with survivor’s guilt.
“Anytime that I see somebody OD or even pass away that’s in the public eye, I immediately think, ‘That could’ve been you had you not been putting all this work in the last couple of years of your life,'” the 28-year-old confessed.
Lovato continued, “There’s times where I’ve even talked about feeling survivor’s guilt because you do ask yourself, ‘Why am I still here, and why are others not?'”
The Grammy nominee admits it has been “challenging” to overcome those intrusive thoughts, but she has found a way to acknowledge them without harming her mental health.
“Ultimately I had to realize that every day is a day that someone else doesn’t get,” she said. “Every day that I’m here on this earth is a day that I need to be counting my blessings for and just being appreciative and grateful for.”
Framing her thoughts like that, she says, “Makes me want to live the best life I can possibly live knowing that others didn’t get the same chance that I did.”
Lovato, who is working on her own sobriety, confronts her near-fatal overdose in the YouTube docuseries Dancing With the Devil, which is streaming now.
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