Celebrities Who Had Health Scares In 2025

In 2025, a number of Hollywood A-listers shared their medical issues, many of whom have used their diagnoses to open doors for discussion and advocate for others facing the same concerns. Eric Dane exemplifies that type of positivity. After finding out he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) disease, he began sharing his journey with the progressive disease. (Find out how ALS is treated.) ALS affects a small number of people (about 30,000 in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). However, its prognosis is devastating because no cure exists for the condition that slowly damages all major motor neuron functionality. 

After learning he had ALS, Dane gave a candid interview on "Good Morning America." He described losing the ability to control one of his hands — and facing the reality that he was likely to lose control of the other one relatively soon. He also talked about some of the symptoms of the disease he noticed the prior year. Common signs of ALS development include difficulty walking and talking (e.g., tripping, losing balance, garbled speech), as well as unmanageable emotions (via Mayo Clinic).

The former "Charmed" star made so many inroads in terms of awareness of his condition that he was named "Advocate of the Year" in September 2025 by the ALS Network. In a release, the president of the nonprofit organization, Sheri Stahl, explained that he was receiving the honor because he "transformed personal challenges into powerful advocacy."

Justin Timberlake is another superstar who has been raising awareness about a specific illness. While touring, he struggled with nerve-related pain, unexplained illness, and exhaustion, according to an Instagram post. Eventually, he learned why: He had Lyme disease. As Timberlake wrote, "I'd like to do my part to help others experiencing this disease."

Ticks carry Lyme disease and spread it by biting humans. If caught early, Lyme disease can be cured in the majority of cases through the use of antibiotics. However, the longer someone has Lyme disease, the lower the likelihood of curing it. As a result, the individual may occasionally have Lyme disease flare-ups that cause pain or tiredness.

The American Medical Association reports that 476,000 people are diagnosed with Lyme disease annually, but infectious disease specialist Dr. Amy N. Duckro explained that people can protect themselves from lasting effects. Said Dr. Duckro, "Early signs can include a rash, fever, headache, fatigue or flu-like symptoms." She added that some individuals also experience pain in their joints.

Early in 2025, Billy Joel's official Instagram included a post stating that his upcoming performance dates were being rescheduled due to a "medical condition." Two months later, a follow-up post announced that those concerts were completely cancelled because Joel had been diagnosed with Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH). NPH is a condition that leads to a buildup of fluids around the brain. As the fluid puts pressure on the brain, the brain stops functioning normally. In fact, the cognitive and physical symptoms of this medical problem can resemble progressive dementia. However, unlike dementia, NPH can potentially be cured with treatment.

After the news hit the airwaves, fans were so supportive that Joel's wife, Alexis Roderick Joel, expressed deep appreciation on Instagram. Joel's ex-wife, model Christie Brinkley, also relayed her hopes for his recovery on Instagram, asking him to "please take good care of yourself, we all want you back in that white hot spotlight, you're OUR piano man." NPH is most commonly seen in people who are over age 65. Joel turned 76 in 2025.

The past few years haven't been easy for Teddi Mellencamp, a star who climbed to fame as a cast member of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." In 2022, she was diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma (a type of skin cancer) and spent years undergoing treatments and surgeries to shrink and remove tumors.

In 2025, Mellencamp received both troubling and uplifting news. Earlier in the year, she announced that diagnostic images found tumors on her brain, making it essential for her to have brain surgery. That said, by October 2025, she revealed on her podcast that she had learned that she had no signs of active cancer. Mellencamp explained that she was not considered in remission from cancer, but that the immunotherapy treatments she had begun — and was scheduled to continue for a year — seemed to be working.

Melanoma is a very common type of cancer that leads to concerning abnormalities in the skin, such as dark or textured patches, the changing appearance of moles, or unusual growths. When detected before it can spread, it can be cured.

Even political leaders can face life-threatening health problems. Joe Biden, who served as America's 46th president, found out earlier in 2025 that he had an aggressive form of prostate cancer that was already in the latter stages of development. At the time, he was 82.

The fact that Biden didn't know he had prostate cancer until after it had spread beyond his prostate isn't unusual. Prostate cancer frequently produces few symptoms when it begins, which illustrates how important it is for men to undergo annual prostate screenings. When it's caught sooner, it's curable, and the five-year survival rate is almost 100% (per Johns Hopkins Medicine).

Several months after the public learned that former president Biden had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, his team announced that he was undergoing radiation therapy. At around the same time, they shared that he had undergone surgery to remove skin cancer using an advanced type of targeted surgical treatment.