‘I lost my sense of smell and taste’: DJ Jazzy Jeff talks to Will Smith about his terrifying battle with suspected coronavirus
DJ Jazzy Jeff has spoken to Will Smith about his battle with suspected coronavirus for the first time.
The musician, 55, discussed his agonising illness after contracting pnenumonia in both lungs, which he believes to be COVID-19, with longtime BFF and collaborator Will, 51, on Wednesday’s episode of his new Snapchat series, Will From Home – teased on People.
Summertime hitmaker Jeff said he developed coronavirus-like symptoms at the end of last month, saying: ‘I came home from my trip. I was like, “I feel like I’m coming down with something” and got into bed, and I don’t remember the next 10 days.
Candid: DJ Jazzy Jeff (R)has spoken to Will Smith (L) about his battle with suspected coronavirus for the first time
‘I had a temperature that reached 103. I had the chills. I lost sense of smell. I lost sense of taste.’
Will responded: ‘And you couldn’t even get tested!’ to which Jeff responded: ‘They gave me a flu test. And when I went and got the chest X-ray, she came in and said, “You have pneumonia in both your lungs”‘.
He added: ‘Unfortunately, people think we’re at the end [of the pandemic], and I think we’re really at the beginning.’
Discussing how he was alerted to Jeff’s illness, Oscar nominee Will said: ‘Lynette [Jeff’s wife] called me and Lynette doesn’t panic and she called with panic vibes.’
Brave: Summertime hitmaker Jeff said: ‘I had a temperature that reached 103. I had the chills. I lost sense of smell. I lost sense of taste’
Jeff, known for his music collaborations with Will as DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince in the 1990s, broke the news of his illness to his fans last month via Instagram stories.
He wrote: ‘I’m recovering from pneumonia in both my lungs
‘I lost my sense of smell and taste which is a main sign of the virus. I would NOT be here if not for my guardian angel for a wife!’
He added: ‘Pls say a prayer for all the sick… it’s a lot more than you know!!’
He had first hinted he was sick on March 7 when he tweeted: ‘I’ll be happy when I’m home and I can cough freely…LOL,’ presumably receiving treatment in hospital.
Longtime friends: Will responded: ‘And you couldn’t even get tested!’ to which Jeff responded: ‘They gave me a flu test. And when I went and got the chest X-ray, she came in and said, “You have pneumonia in both your lungs”‘ (pictured 1990s)
Brave: Jeff shared this Instagram post on Tuesday, urging people to stay at home
Will teamed up with Jazz, real name Jeffrey Townes, when they were both trying break into the big time in West Philadelphia’s local hip hop scene in the 1980s.
They became local stars after adding the now forgotten beatboxer Clarence ‘Ready Rock C’ Holmes to the line-up, though he ended up splitting in 1990 before later unsuccessfully suing his old pals.
They won a Grammy for best rap performance in 1989 for Parents Just Don’t Understand, bu their biggest hit was Summertime, which also won a Grammy and reached as high as number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Jeff made multiple appearances on Will’s iconic sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince have managed to sell 5.5 million albums in the United States alone.
BFFs: Will teamed up with Jazz, real name Jeffrey Townes, when they were both trying break into the big time in West Philadelphia’s local hip hop scene in the 1980s (pictured 2017)