Lil Wayne has opened up about his past mental health struggles.

Per The Metro, the 38-year-old rapper spoke about how he almost took his own life at the age of just 12 in a recent interview on Emmanuel Acho's podcast series Uncomfortable Conversations.

The musician (whose real name is Dwayne Carter Jr) told Acho that he had contemplated suicide while at home on a half-day off from school.

Per the above publication, the 'Let It All Work Out' rapped stated: "I called the police. Yes, I knew where [my mother] put her gun and it was in her bedroom. And so I went in her bedroom, grabbed the gun. I already made the phone call, looked in the mirror."

However, he stated that he felt too frightened to go through with the act, and was brought around when he heard a Notorious B.I.G. song come on TV in the background.

The rapper then continued: "Then I said: 'F*** it.' Biggie was on. I'm looking in the mirror, so you could look through the mirror and the television was behind me. So I was watching the video through the mirror.

"'One More Chance' was on. And Biggie was already gone or something. So I was looking, I was like: 'You know what?' Start thinking I had to get myself mad and noticed that I didn't have to, that's what scared me.

"How I knew I had a mental health problem was when I pulled the trigger."

Lil Wayne continued to describe to Acho the moment he was lying on the floor and could hear the police knocking at his door.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org
800-273-TALK (8255)
TTY: 800-799-4TTY (4889)

Asian American Suicide Prevention and Education
http://www.aaspe.net
877-990-8585 (Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, and Fujianese)

Boys Town Suicide and Crisis Line (for teens/parents/families)
http://www.boystown.org/national-hotline
800-448-3000
Text, Chat Email: http://www.yourlifeyourvoice.org/Pages/ways-to-get-help.aspx

Lifeline Crisis Chat
http://www.crisischat.org
1:1 Online Chat: http://www.crisischat.org/chat (12:00 pm - 12:00 am EST)

Crisis Text Line
https://www.crisistextline.org/how-it-works
Text 741741
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crisistextline

Kristin Brooks Hope Center
https://www.imalive.org/
1.800.SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433)
Facebook
Twitter

IMAlive Crisis Chat
https://www.imalive.org

Vet2Vet Veterans Crisis Hotline
http://www.yourlifecounts.org/crisis-line/vet2vet-veteran%E2%80%99s-crisis-line
1-877-VET-2-VET (838-2838)

Featured Image Credit: Alamy/ Kristoffer Tripplaar

A 26-year-old Pennsylvania police officer left a heartwrenching note revealing the reason behind his decision to take his own life.

Ryan Kingerski, a dedicated officer with the Penn Hills Police Department and a twin, had always dreamed of serving his community.

In August 2024, he took time off from his dream job to undergo the eye procedure, LASIK, which is widely marketed as safe and routine. Tragically, it marked the beginning of a rapid decline.

"He was very excited because they often tout - LASIK often touts - that you go in and within three days..." his mother, Stefanie, told CBS News, trailing off. His father, Tim, added, "Simple and effective routine surgery... that he would be back to work in a couple days."

But Ryan never returned to duty. Instead, the weeks and months following the operation were filled with unbearable side effects: double vision, debilitating headaches, floaters, dark spots, and extreme light sensitivity.

"He kept saying how bad the pain in his head was," his parents recounted. “He had a terrible headache and wasn’t able to focus, and the vision and the blurriness and everything else - and that just continued."

Desperate to find relief, Ryan's father took him from one specialist to another, but "it was one disappointment after another," Tim told WTAE.

As Ryan’s condition worsened, so did his mental state. "Regret was the big thing. Why would they do this to me? Why would they not tell me?" Stefanie recalled.

In January, after five months of excruciating suffering and failed treatments, Ryan took his own life. He left behind a final message that read: "I can't take this anymore. LASIK took everything from me."

“That’s the note that we got left,” his dad said. “It just... it ruined his life. Ruined it. Completely ruined his life in 12 seconds.”

The family believes the LASIK surgery was directly responsible for their son’s death. “People are going to watch this and say it’s mental health. This wasn’t mental health,” Tim shared. “I know my son before his surgery, and after his surgery were two completely different people.”

Adding to the pain, the facility that performed the procedure, LASIKPlus in Pittsburgh, dropped Ryan as a patient after he shared his negative experience on social media. In a statement to CBS, the clinic said, “Suicide generally cannot be reduced to any single cause,” and maintained that informed consent is always provided.

The American Refractive Surgery Council reports a serious complication rate of less than one percent, and nearly 700,000 to 800,000 LASIK procedures are performed annually in the U.S, per the National Institutes of Health.

Still, experts like Morris Waxler, the former FDA official who approved LASIK in 1999, have raised alarms.

Waxler, who later petitioned the FDA to withdraw its approval, said the procedure can have severe complications. "They cut nerves, then, in addition, they take out a divot, which removes all the support structure or muscle out of the support section and all of it," he explained. “Sometimes it grows back, sometimes it doesn't grow back, sometimes it grows back poorly."

Hayden Hutchins, another LASIK patient who experienced complications, amplified Ryan's story on social media. "All these people, Ryan included, like every single story that I hear, it's more or less the same,” Hutchins said. He added that patients with post-op issues are often “dismissed” or “gaslit” by doctors.

In April, Ryan's family gave the Penn Hills Police Department challenge coins and a heartfelt note honoring their son’s memory.

“We couldn’t be more proud of the son and brother that he was and the man that he became,” they wrote. “Our pain is unbearable, and our grief is forever now that he is gone.”

The department also shared a tribute on Facebook: “Ryan was not only a dedicated and hardworking officer but also a kindhearted friend to many of us… His loss leaves a void that cannot be filled, and our hearts are truly broken.”

Ryan’s parents are now urging others to research LASIK thoroughly and encouraging those with complications to report them via the FDA’s MedWatch form.

“He didn’t want anyone else to ever feel the same way,” Stefanie said. “Ryan would be here. All he did was tell the truth.”

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org.

Featured image credit: Soxman Funeral Homes

Teen rapper Lil Tay has made a grand return with a new music video following a five-year absence and a death hoax.

Lil Tay, whose real name was Claire Eileen Qi Hope, rose to fame at just nine years old after sharing videos and pictures flaunting her wealth and extravagant lifestyle online.

However, the internet personality - who dubbed herself the "youngest flexer of the century" - abruptly disappeared from social media for five years, until August 9 of this year when it was falsely reported that she and her 21-year-old brother Jason Tian had passed away.

At the time, there was a cryptic now-deleted statement allegedly posted on her Instagram, which read: "It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire's sudden and tragic passing. We have no words to express the unbearable loss and indescribable pain."

But the following day (August 10), the teenager shared a statement with TMZ revealing that she was alive and that her social media had been hacked to release the inaccurate report of her death.

Two months later (September 30), Lil Tay dramatically returned to social media to address the death hoax for the first time.

She shared a snippet of the music video for her new song titled: 'Sucker 4 Green,' on her Instagram, writing in the caption: "IM BACK...YALL B****ES THOUGHT THE SHOW WAS OVER."

The influencer's new song is pop - a contrast from her previous rap persona - and of course, she expresses her love for money in the chorus, singing: "Money, money, money / Money, money, money / I just can’t look away from it, I want it, want it, want it."

As a nod to her past viral videos, the teen shows off her fortune in the form of luxury cars in a garage while dancing around. The clip then concludes with her sprinkling money off a balcony while standing alongside her mother, Angela Tian, and her (clearly alive) older brother.

Prior to dropping the visuals for her new single, the viral star went on Instagram Live to blast the media for publishing stories about her death without verifying the information.

"This proves how much the press did not give a f*** about facts," she said, as cited by Billboard. "They cared about slandering my name. They did not do any fact-checking."

Lil Tay also accused her father, Chris Hope, of coming back into her life to take control of her finances, and being neglectful when she was under his care. She also alleged that he was responsible for the social media death hoax.

"He was trying to sabotage me," she claimed. "Meanwhile, he was working with this other con artist who claimed to be my manager and they had a crypto coin together. Their plan was to fake my death and then promote the crypto coin… These people are frauds."

This isn't the first time the young internet star indicted Hope of being the perpetrator of her fake death announcement, as last week she shared an Instagram Story that read: "My abusive, racist, misogynist, woman-beating father faked my death."

However, Hope denied those claims in a statement to TMZ, sharing: "The person who is responsible for that Instagram post, as well as anyone repeating the completely false and libelous accusation within it, are virtually certain to become defendants in a defamation lawsuit."

"Everything stated is 100% false, and I trust that this should be obvious to anyone who knows me or the long history of absurd and untrue statements made by the various people who have controlled the Instagram account," he added.

Elsewhere in her Instagram live, Lil Tay revealed that her mother, Angela Tian, had regained custody of her after the end of her parents' child support battle in August.

According to USA Today, MacLean Law shared in a statement announcing that Tian "successfully obtained orders for our client that have enabled her daughter to advance her career".

The law firm explained that Lil Tay's primary residence will be with her mother, and the two are free to relocate outside of Vancouver.

Furthermore, the mom was awarded "sole day-to-day and final decision-making powers and responsibilities in the best interests of Tay Tian," as well as the ability to sign contracts.

Featured image credit: NurPhoto / Getty

Rapper Lil Nas X was arrested and hospitalized following an alarming encounter with Los Angeles police.

On early Thursday (August 21) morning, authorities responded to reports of a man walking naked on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City when they encountered the 26-year-old rapper, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the 'Old Town Road' hitmaker allegedly charged at officers and was subsequently taken into custody on suspicion of misdemeanor obstruction, per The Independent.

However, before he was booked, police suspected that Lil Nas X might be suffering from a drug overdose.

He was immediately taken to the hospital for treatment, where he spent a few hours before being discharged and transported to jail.

Pictures obtained by TMZ show the 'Industry Baby' rapper in nothing but white underwear and cowboy boots, casually walking down the normally busy road at around 4AM, singing and interacting with bystanders.

In one video, he can be heard telling a person recording him, "Hey, don’t be late to the party tonight?”

Lil Nas X rose to global fame with his record-shattering 2018 hit 'Old Town Road,' blending country and hip-hop in a way that revolutionized both genres.

His debut studio album Montero, released in 2021, also garnered significant praise, peaking at Number 2 on the Billboard album charts and earning a Grammy nomination.

The arrest comes months after the musician opened up about the challenges he faced over the past few years.

Back in February, he shared a video discussing his fluctuating state of mind, admitting that the previous years had been difficult for him.

“I’m just now, like arriving to this place of feeling confidence in myself and what I’m doing,” he said, adding that he was working on being more intentional with his music and creativity.

Earlier this year, Lil Nas X also shared that he had been stepping away from the spotlight to focus on his mental and emotional well-being.

He explained that he felt the need to experience a more "mundane life" after jumping into adulthood surrounded by extreme fame, per PEOPLE.

"I jumped straight into adulthood with extreme fame around me," he explained.

"So it was really nice to be just outside walking and meeting people in the streets and eating at restaurants, just even alone, spending a lot of alone time in solitude."

The following month, he revealed that he had been hospitalized after experiencing an unusual health concern, though he did not share a diagnosis.

Lil Nas X’s representatives have yet to comment on the incident or his current condition.

Featured image credit: Warner Bros. TV / Getty

A hitman asked Angelina Jolie one question that ultimately saved her life after she tried to hire him to kill her.

At just 22 years old, the Oscar-winning star was facing severe mental health issues that led her to contemplate ending her life.

In a candid interview with IMDb in 2001, she recalled: “This is going to sound insane but there was a time I was going to hire somebody to kill me," The Mirror reported.

The Maleficent actress had reached a breaking point, and her struggles led her to seek out an assassin in New York City.

In a follow-up interview with The Face in 2003, Jolie revealed how easy it was to find a hitman in the city. “They’re not that hard to find in New York,” she said. “As insane as it sounds, I think a lot of people consider suicide when they’re young.”

Jolie, however, had a unique perspective on her potential death. She explained: “I was very aware that so many people around me, like my mother, would feel as though they didn’t give enough or do enough if I’d taken my own life."

Her solution was to have someone else take her life in a way that would seem like a robbery. “Then it would be murder and it wouldn’t be that anyone would feel they’d let me down.”

A Life-Saving Moment Question From The Hitman

When the Gia star found the hitman, what happened next was far from what she expected. Rather than going through with the job, the hitman asked her a simple question that would ultimately save her life.

“He was a decent enough person and asked if I could think about it and call him again in two months,” Jolie recalled. “Something changed in my life and I figured I’d stick it out.”

This unexpected intervention gave her the time she needed to reconsider her decision and, ultimately, find the strength to keep going.

Reflecting on a Darker Time

Years later, Jolie, who is now 50 years old, reflected on this difficult period during an interview with 60 Minutes.

“I went through heavier, darker times and I survived them,” she shared, cited by Daily Mail. “I didn’t die young, so I’m very lucky. There are other artists and people who didn’t survive certain things. I think people can imagine that I did the most dangerous and I did the worst.”

She acknowledged how close she came to death during this time, recalling: “For many reasons, I shouldn’t be here. You think of those too many times where you came close to too many dangerous things, too many chances taken too far.”

Motherhood as a Turning Point

The turning point in Jolie's life came when she became a mother. After adopting her first child, Maddox, in 2001, and later adopting Zahara and Pax, her perspective on life began to change.

“Having children saved me - and taught me to be in this world differently,” she told Vogue. "I think, recently, I would’ve gone under in a much darker way had I not wanted to live for them."

“They’re better than me because you want your children to be,” she continued. "Of course, I’m the mother, and hopefully that safe place for them and that stability. But I’m also the one that they laugh at - and I see them taking over so many different aspects of our family."

The Eternals actress' love for her children is something she treasures deeply, comparing it to the passion Maria Callas had for singing. “It’s my happiness,” she said during an interview with Good Morning America’s Michael Strahan. “You can take everything else away from me. Nothing else matters.”

While her kids, particularly her two eldest sons, Maddox and Pax, helped her with her role in Maria, they do not share her desire to be in the public eye.

“None of my children want to be in front of the camera at this time,” she explained. “They’re quite private. Shiloh’s extremely private. They weren’t born with privacy, right? So I hope they can have that as they grow.”

Featured image credit: Vittorio Zunino Celotto / Getty