Christopher “Kid” Reid is opening up about his health battle. The rapper, who is one half of hip-hop duo Kid ‘n Play, revealed on Good Morning America that he underwent a heart transplant.
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Reid told Michael Strahan that his first signs that something wasn’t right were fatigue and shortness of breath.
“I started to feel a little bit more fatigued than before. And then when you feel that shortness of breath, sleeping a lot more than normal,” he said. “And I think sometimes you kind of just chalk it up to, ‘I’m getting older, the road is harsh.’”
Eventually, though, his symptoms were so bad that he visited the emergency room. It was there, in July 2025, that he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.
Initially, Reid was given medication to treat the condition, but his cardiologist wasn’t pleased with his progress at a follow up appointment a few weeks later.
“He came in very swollen again, ” Erika Jones, Reid’s cardiologist, told GMA. “That is a little unusual in somebody who’s been started on treatment, for the swelling to come back that quickly.”
Christopher Reid Opens Up About His Heart Transplant
As such, Jones ordered additional blood work, which “showed that his heart was failing, and it was starting to affect his other organs.”
When Jones got the results, she urged Reid to go to the ER. Once there, he was promptly admitted to the ICU. He was quickly put on the transplant list since his condition was “a life or death situation,” cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Laura Dichiacchio said.
Just over one week later, a heart became available.
“I hope that I’m the same person, but that I’m a better version of myself. Because man, this thing, this is a beautiful life,” he said. “I wanna be around for it.”
Reid said that he hopes his story will inspire others to seek out medical care when something doesn’t feel right.
“A lot of times, we don’t go because we don’t want the bad news, or we too busy just hustlin’, trying to make it from day to day,” he said. “And we… feel like we don’t got time, or we’ll get over it. Well, you might not.”
Photo by Michael Tullberg/Getty Images
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