Atlanta native T-Boz of TLC is recovering at home after a sickle cell crisis forced her off the road, as the group’s hometown date at Chastain Park approaches.

Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, 56, was hospitalized after a sickle cell crisis and is now “recovering and regaining her strength,” her representative Christal Jordan said in a statement first reported this week.

T-Boz Sickle Cell Crisis: What We Know

The flare-up pulled her from multiple dates on TLC’s It’s Iconic Tour with Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue. Bandmate Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas has been performing the group’s catalog solo, with fans and fellow acts filling in T-Boz’s parts and offering prayers from the crowd.

TLC manager Bill Diggins later said the condition is not considered life-threatening and that Watkins is improving each day. Recovery from a crisis can take days or weeks. She will return only when fully recovered and medically cleared. Chilli will continue the remaining dates in the meantime.

Chilli addressed the absence onstage at the Aug. 28 show at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. “As you guys know, my sister T-Boz has sickle cell… sometimes those flare-ups come, and this is that time,” she told the audience, asking fans to “hold her down.” Similar messages followed at later Northeast stops.

Atlanta roots and a hometown date still on the calendar

Watkins was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and moved to the Atlanta area at age 9. TLC formed in Atlanta in the early 1990s and became one of the city’s defining musical exports, with hits including “Waterfalls,” “No Scrubs,” and “Creep.” Watkins has long been open about living with sickle cell disease since childhood; doctors once told her she would not live past 30. She has written about the illness in her memoir A Sick Life.

The tour itself launched Aug. 15 in Franklin, Tennessee. It is scheduled to play Atlanta’s Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park on Oct. 2. That hometown date remains on the books, though whether Watkins will be cleared to perform is not yet known. Promoters have not canceled remaining shows.

September is National Sickle Cell Awareness Month. Watkins has spoken for years about the pain, organ-risk, and unpredictability of crises, which can be triggered by stress, dehydration, or infection. Representatives have asked fans to keep prayers coming and thanked audiences for singing her parts and surrounding the group with support.

Friends including Jodeci’s Mr. Dalvin have also publicly asked for prayers. The group’s statement emphasized gratitude: “The love shown for T-Boz has been overwhelming.”

Atlanta fans hoping to see the full original pairing of T-Boz and Chilli on the Chastain Park lawn will have to wait for a medical update closer to Oct. 2. For now the official word is cautious optimism and rest.

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