Christopher Reid is getting a true second shot at life.
The hip-hop legend — best known as one half of Kid ’N Play and instantly recognizable for his towering high-top fade — is recovering after undergoing a heart transplant, a life-saving procedure that came after a frightening health spiral.
“New year, new heart, new vibration,” Christopher Reid said during an emotional sit-down with Good Morning America, speaking with host Michael Strahan in an interview that aired Thursday, February 5.
Now 61, Reid said the warning signs crept in slowly over the past year. Everyday activities began to feel harder, and his energy levels dropped.
“I started to feel a little bit more fatigued than before,” he explained. “Shortness of breath, sleeping a lot more than normal. Sometimes you just chalk it up to getting older.”
But by July, things took a serious turn. Reid landed in the emergency room, where doctors delivered devastating news: congestive heart failure.
“That’s a bad one,” he said plainly.
After initially being treated with medication, Reid returned weeks later to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles with worsening symptoms, including severe swelling. Doctors immediately knew something wasn’t right.
“That is unusual for swelling to come back that quickly after treatment,” said cardiologist Dr. Erika Jones.
Further testing revealed Reid’s failing heart was beginning to affect other organs. He was rushed to the ICU and told bluntly that a heart transplant was his only option.
“He was very high on the transplant list because of how ill he was,” said cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Laura DiChiacchio. “This was truly a life-or-death situation.”
Despite the gravity of it all, Reid said he faced the moment with gratitude and resolve.
“I wanted them to know, ‘I am worthy of this,’” he said. “And if I got this gift, I was going to respect it and really live life to the fullest.”
Just nine days later, the call came.
“They said, ‘We’ve got the heart, and we want to put it in tomorrow night at 10,’” Reid recalled. “About seven hours later, I had a new heart.”
Now in recovery, Reid says the experience has changed him in the best possible way.
“I hope I’m the same person — just a better version,” he said. “Because this is a beautiful life.”
His story arrives during American Heart Month in February, a time dedicated to raising awareness about cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.
Reid said he hopes sharing his journey encourages people — especially people of color — to take their health seriously before it’s too late.
“A lot of people are walking around with heart disease because they don’t go to the doctor,” he warned. “You might not get over it. So get checked out.”
As for what’s next, Reid isn’t slowing down. Strahan revealed the entertainer is already working on a new special, planning additional Kid ’N Play tour dates, and writing a book fittingly titled Heart of the Matter.
After everything he’s survived, Reid says one thing is clear: he’s ready to live — fully, gratefully, and louder than ever.