Famous persons who have been afflicted with Tuberculosis

Born 26 November 1939 as Anna Mae Bullock.

An American singer.

She had tuberculosis for several years while she was performing with her husband.

She rebuilt her career as a solo artist after divorcing her husband.

One of the world’s most popular entertainers; has been called the most successful female rock artist.

Known for her energetic stage presence, powerful vocals, career longevity.

Tina Turner

(Ike and Tina Turner Review)

Born 7 June 1940.

A Welsh-born singer of humble coal-miner beginnings.

He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2006.

At 12 years old, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis.

Many years later he said: "I spent two years in bed recovering. It was the worst time of my life.“

During convalescence he could do little else but listen to music and draw.

Has sung pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, soul and gospel.

His first single was released in 1964.

Continues to perform; released his most recent album in May 2012.

Tom Jones Sir Thomas John Woodward

Born Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 Jan 1950) An English-born author who wrote using a pen name.

In October 1941, he had a bout of bronchitis and the illness recurred frequently. He suffered a tubercular haemorrhage in February 1946 but disguised his illness. In December 1947, he was hospitalized with tuberculosis and the request to import streptomycin for treatment went as far as the Minister of Health.

At the end of July 1948, he was able to return home and finished the manuscript of “1984” by December.

In January 1949, in weak condition, he set off for a sanatorium in Gloucestershire.

He was sent to London Hospital in summer 1949 and was treated with further streptomycin but died in January 1950 of lung haemorrhage.

George Orwell

best known for his novels “1984” and “Animal Farm”

Born Steven Demetre Georgiou on 21 July 1948. Singer and songwriter - most well known song that he wrote is The First Cut is the Deepest.

He contracted tuberculosis in 1969 and was close to death at the time of admittance to King Edward VII Hospital, Midhurst, England; he spent months recuperating in the hospital and a year of convalescence.

During this time he began to question aspects of his life. He later said, "to go from the show business environment and find you are in hospital, getting injections day in and day out, and people around you are dying, it certainly changes your perspective. I got down to thinking about myself. It seemed almost as if I had my eyes shut."

Also wrote “Peace Train”, “Morning Has Broken” (a Christian

hymn with lyrics by Eleanor Farjeon) and “Moon Shadow”.

He continues his musical career today after a transformation.

Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam)

Born 7 October 1931

Became very sick with tuberculosis as a teenager and almost died. He was in hospital for almost two years.

After he recovered, he wanted to become a doctor and find a cure for TB. His family couldn’t afford to send him to medical school, so he decided to become a teacher like his father.

A South African activist; a tireless campaigner for health and human rights, he has been particularly vocal in support of controlling TB and HIV.

He is patron of an HIV Foundation named in his honour, has served as the honorary chairman for the Global AIDS Alliance and is patron of TB Alert, a UK charity working internationally.

A retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid.

Desmond Tutu

30 July 1818 – 19 Dec 1848

An English novelist and poet; one of three famous sisters.

She left home at 20 to become a teacher but her health broke under the stress of a long workday and she returned home 1 ½ years later to become a stay-at-home daughter, looking after her family.

In 1847, she published her novel “Wuthering Heights” under the name Ellis Bell. It received mixed reviews but subsequently became an English literary classic. She became sick during her brother’s funeral in September 1848. Though her condition worsened steadily, she rejected all medical help. She died of tuberculosis in December 1848.

17 Jan 1820 – 28 May 1849 An English novelist and poet; another of three famous sisters. She left home to work as a governess for five years at Thorp Green. For three years after that, she worked as a teacher at a school near there, then returned home in June 1846.

She wrote two novels published under the pen name Acton Bell: “Agnes Grey”, December 1847, and “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall”, June 1848. Over Christmas 1848, she caught influenza. Her symptoms intensified in January and a physician diagnosed her condition as consumption. By February, she seemed to be recovering. On May 24, 1849, she and one of her sisters travelled to Scarborough for the fresh sea air but she died four days later at Scarborough.

21 April 1816 – 31 March 1855 An English novelist and poet; the eldest of three famous sisters. She left home in 1831 to continue her education, later teaching at the same school for three years. After which, she held various positions as governess and teacher, returning home in 1844. She married at 38 and died nine months later with her unborn child.

Her novel “Jane Eyre” was published in 1847 under the name Currer Bell. She published three other novels and left one unfinished at her death.

Her death certificate gave cause of death as phthisis (tuberculosis) but many biographers have offered other causes.

The Bronte Sisters Emily, Anne and Charlotte

The Bronte Sisters After the death of their mother from what is believed to have been cancer, four of five Bronte sisters went to boarding school. Anne, the youngest, did not go. In 1825, a typhus epidemic at the school caused them to return home.

Maria, who may actually have had tuberculosis, was sent home first, where she died. Elizabeth died also, a month later, soon after she returned home.

Branwell Bronte (1817-1848) Branwell, the only boy in the family, was regarded by the family as being the most talented.

By 18, he had been published a few times in periodicals. He worked as a portrait painter in 1838/39 and produced the famous painting of his three author sisters. After which, he held various jobs and lost them, attributed to drinking and moral failure.

His addictions probably masked the onset of tuberculosis. After he collapsed outside the family home, a local doctor diagnosed that he was in the disease’s terminal stages.

Branwell died in September 1848.

Born 18 July 1918. A militant anti-apartheid activist. Co-founder and leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). In 1962, he was arrested and convicted of sabotage and other charges, and was sentenced to life in prison. He was imprisoned for 27 years.

In 1988, while at Pollsmoor Prison in South Africa, he contracted TB. Fortunately, his strain of tuberculosis was treated before the disease had reached its advanced stages, but the experience left an indelible imprint on him. Quote: "We cannot win the battle against AIDS if we do not also fight TB."

Following his release from prison in 1990, he led his party in negotiations that led to democracy in South Africa.

He served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 and was the first to be elected in a fully representative, democratic election. As president, he frequently gave priority to reconciliation, and introduced policies aimed at combating poverty and inequality.

Nelson Mandela

Born 20 July 1947.

A Mexican-born musician. He became famous with his band in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Rolling Stone magazine listed him at number 15 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.

He developed TB at the beginning of his career. “We were supposed to play at the Fillmore with Howlin' Wolf and Steve Miller - that was the biggest break we were going to get - but then something happened. They took me to the hospital for tuberculosis. I was there for 3 ½ months, and I couldn't get out. It was like being in jail. They put me in this ward, like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest or something.”

He and his band, named after himself, pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion.

He has won 10 Grammy Awards and 3 Latin Grammy Awards.

Carlos Santana

Born in 1810. A Polish classical composer and virtuoso pianist.

He is considered the great master of Romantic music and one of the greatest musicians of all time.

A renowned child-prodigy, he was, however, sickly and under medical care from childhood.

In 1830, he settled in Paris as part of Poland's Great Emigration.

During the remaining 19 years of his life, he gave only 30 public performances, preferring the more intimate atmosphere of the salon; he supported himself by sales of his compositions and as a piano teacher.

On 17 October 1849, after a sudden coughing fit, he died in the 40th year of his life.

The death certificate stated the cause of death was tuberculosis of the lungs and larynx.

Frederic Chopin

12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910

A celebrated English social reformer, writer and statistician.

Her social reforms include improving healthcare for all sections of British society and expanding the acceptable forms of female participation in the workforce.

A prodigious and versatile writer, much of her published work was concerned with spreading medical knowledge.

During the Crimean War, she was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making nursing rounds at night.

In 1860, she laid the foundation of professional nursing with the establishment of her nursing school at St Thomas’ Hospital in London. It was the first secular nursing school in the world.

Florence Nightingale

A number of online sources list her as having suffered from tuberculosis.

January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849. An author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement.

He was the first American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career.

His mother died of tuberculosis before he turned 3 years old. He married in 1835 and his wife died of TB in 1847.

Some sources attribute his death to TB as well, although there is some controversy.

Edgar Allan Poe

July 11, 1856 – July 2, 1893 An American stage actress.

She came from a stage acting family and became the matriarch of a famous stage and film acting family.

In December 1891, illness forced her to leave the stage. She died at 36 years of age but her legacy continues today.

Mother of Lionel, Ethel and John. Great grandmother of Drew.

Georgiana Drew Barrymore

7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934

A Polish physicist and chemist famous for pioneering research on radioactivity.

The first person honoured with two Nobel Prizes — in physics and chemistry.

She was the first female professor at the University of Paris, and the first woman to be entombed on her own merits in the Pantheon in Paris.

She underwent a kidney operation in the early 1900’s during which she almost died. Her kidneys had been scarred from exposure to TB, and they became infected years later. Her convalescence took about a year.

Marie Curie

March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922 Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, moved to Canada as a young adult, then became a naturalized citizen of the U.S.A. in 1882.

A scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator.

One of the founding members of the National Geographic Society.

He did groundbreaking work in optical telecommunications, hydrofoils and aeronautics.

His research on hearing and speech led him to experiment with hearing devices. He was credited with inventing the first practical telephone.

He had two brothers die from TB. Some sources state he also suffered from tuberculosis.

Throughout 1867, his health faltered, attributed to exhaustion. His younger brother was bed-ridden, suffering from tuberculosis. While his brother's condition deteriorated, his own health recovered.

Alexander Graham Bell

9 Sept 1585 – 4 Dec 1642 A French clergyman, noble and statesman. Consecrated as a Bishop in 1608, he later entered politics and his stature rose in both the Catholic Church and the French Government.

As an advocate for Samuel de Champlain, he founded the Compagnie des Cent-Associes and saw the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Lave return Quebec City to French rule. This allowed the colony to eventually develop into the heartland of Francophone culture in North America.

For many years he had suffered from recurrent fevers (possibly malaria), stranguary (from gonorrhoea he caught as a teenager), intestinal tuberculosis with fistula and migraine. Near the end of his life, his right arm was suppurating with tubercular oseitis, and he coughed blood. After death, his lungs were found to have extensive cavities and caseous necrosis.

Cardinal Richelieu (Armand Jean du Plessis)

14 Aug 1851 – 8 Nov 1887 American gambler, gunfighter and dentist. He earned a D.D.S. degree and set up practice in Atlanta. In 1873, he was diagnosed with consumption (TB), the same disease that claimed his mother when he was 15. He moved to the American southwest in hopes that the climate would prolong his life.

He began gambling and decided this would be more profitable since patients feared going to his office because of his cough.

During his travels, he met and became friends with Wyatt Earp and his brothers.

In 1880, he moved to Tombstone, Arizona and participated with the Earps in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral. He was also embroiled in ensuing shootouts and killings.

He successfully fought being extradited for murder, and died in bed at a Colorado Hotel/sanatorium at the age of 36.

John Henry “Doc” Holliday

16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817 An English novelist whose works of romantic fiction were set among the landed gentry.

Her plots highlighted the dependence of women on marriage to secure social standing and economic security.

Her realism and biting social commentary cemented her historical importance among scholars and critics.

Early in 1816, she began to feel unwell, but ignored her illness and continued to work and to participate in the usual round of family activities. By the middle of that year, her decline was unmistakable and her physical condition began a long, slow, and irregular deterioration culminating in her death the following year.

Many of her biographers rely on Dr. V. Cope's 1964 retrospective diagnosis and list her cause of death as Addison’s Disease. However, recent work by K. White of Britain's Addison’s Disease Self Help Group suggests she probably died of bovine TB, a disease (now) commonly associated with drinking unpasteurized milk.

Jane Austen

Born 7 July 1940

English musician, songwriter, actor and member of a famous band.

He has also hosted TV shows and documentaries and narrated children’s TV series.

He continues to tour and entertain.

He was afflicted by illness for much of his early years and periods of hospitalization left him behind scholastically.

When six, he had appendicitis, developed complications and fell into a coma. At 13, he developed chronic pleurisy and was admitted to a sanatorium. In his second year there, he fell ill to tuberculosis.

"In those days, they used to put you in what we called a greenhouse in the countryside. And thank God, someone had invented Streptomycin. And you just sat around for a year getting well… So to keep you entertained, once a week, they'd have lessons: could be knitting, could be modelling, occasionally, it was music. And they'd bring in tambourines, triangles and little drums."

From that moment, he wouldn't play in the band unless he had a drum. Drums became the love of his life.

“They became the dream that one day I would have my own set, which happened. And then the other dream was that I would play with other musicians, which came true.”

Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey)

11 Oct 1884 – 7 Nov 1962

American author, speaker, politician, and human rights activist.

She worked to enhance the status of working women, although she opposed the American Equal Rights Amendment because she believed it would adversely affect women.

She founded the UN Association of the United States and promoted the formation of the United Nations; later serving as a delegate to the UN General Assembly.

The longest-serving First Lady of the United States of America, 1933 to 1945.

In an era when few women had careers, she continued with the active business and speaking agenda she had begun before becoming First Lady.

She was injured when struck by a car in April 1960. Afterwards, her health began to decline.

Diagnosed with aplastic anemia, she developed bone marrow tuberculosis subsequent to treatment with cortisone, which reactivated the dormant tuberculosis she had contracted years earlier.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Other First Ladies of the United States who were afflicted with Tuberculosis:

Hannah Hoes Van Buren (Martin Van Buren) She actually died before he became president.

Jane Appleton Pierce (Franklin Pierce)

Eliza McCardle Johnson (Andrew Johnson) She was an invalid by the time she became First Lady. Her daughter fulfilled most of her official obligations.

Caroline Scott Harrison (Benjamin Harrison)

President James Monroe (1758 – 1831) Served as President of the USA from 1817 - 1825

He developed a chronic lung illness in late 1830; cause of death: heart failure and tuberculosis.

President Andrew Jackson (1767 – 1845) Served as President of the USA from 1829 - 1837

His cause of death has been listed as chronic tuberculosis, dropsy and heart failure. Some controversy exists, blaming

symptoms on a chest wound suffered during a duel.

Jackson’s wife died before his inauguration. At the President’s request, her niece, Emily Donelson, lived at the White House with her family (gave birth to three of her four

children there) and served as his hostess until her death from Tuberculosis.

20 Nov 1841 – 17 Feb 1919

Considered one of Canada’s greatest statesmen. He is well known for his policies of conciliation, expanding Confederation, and compromise between French and English Canada.

His nearly 45 years of service in the House of Commons is an all-time record for that house.

At 31 years, 8 months, he was the longest-serving leader of a major Canadian political party.

Prime Minister of Canada from 11 July 1896 to 6 October 1911.

He holds the record for the most consecutive federal elections won (4), and his 15 year tenure remains the longest unbroken term of office among Prime Ministers.

At the age of five, he lost his mother to TB and, later, his brother and two sisters to the same disease.

As a young man he had chronic bronchitis which he believed was tuberculosis. He was in frail health for much of his life.

He died from a stroke while still in office as Leader of the Opposition.

Sir Wilfrid Laurier

3 Oct 1900 – 15 Sept 1938

A major American novelist of the early 20th century.

He had aspired to be a playwright but was unable to sell any of his plays due to their excessive length.

In July 1938, he became ill with pneumonia while visiting Seattle, spending three weeks in hospital. His sister left Washington, D.C. and went to Seattle to care for him. Complications arose and he was eventually diagnosed with miliary tuberculosis of the brain. On September 6, he underwent surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, but died without regaining consciousness.

He saw less than half of his work published in his lifetime. Best known for his novels, “Look Homeward Angel”, “The Lost Boy” and “You Can’t Go Home Again” (the latter published posthumously).

Thomas Wolfe

Aug 1810 – Sept 1848

She was the elder sister to a famous English writer and social critic.

She displayed musical talent and was given preferential support for education over her later-famous brother.

A greater burden was placed on her brother when the family faced hardships, including debtor’s prison, but her brother maintained that he never felt any jealousy of what was done for her. She achieved some success as a pianist, performed a public concert for Princess Augusta, sister of King George IV, and was awarded an associate honorary membership at the Royal Academy. She was also a talented singer.

She was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1846 and her brother persuaded her husband to bring the family to London where he could support them and provide the best doctors. Two years later, she died of tuberculosis of the lung at age 38. Her first son, who had always suffered from poor health, died soon after. It’s believed that her son was the inspiration for an important child character in one of her brother’s renowned novels.

Fanny Dickens Burnett sister of Charles Dickens

The Influences on Charles Dickens Righteous anger stemming from his own experience and the living conditions of working-class people of his time became major themes in the work of Charles Dickens.

Perhaps no novelist of the 19th century had more characters die from tuberculosis than Charles Dickens. One of the most memorable was Smike in “The Life and Times of Nicholas Nickleby.”

Other Family of Charles Dickens Augustus Dickens (1827-1866) youngest brother of Charles Dickens

Augustus left his first wife in England and moved to the U.S.A. in 1855. He died from tuberculosis at age 39. His brother

Charles supported both of his wives financially.

Kate Dickens Perugini (1839-1929) daughter of Charles Dickens (one of ten children)

Kate established herself as a painter and her work was accepted by the Royal Academy. As a child, Kate developed a worrying

illness. According to her biographer, it began with a sore throat but developed into pronounced swelling on her neck. It is now believed that she was suffering from scrofula (tuberculosis of the neck). Although she lived to age 89, Kate often suffered

bouts of poor health as an adult.

5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967 An English actress born in British India. She won two Best Actress Academy Awards. She was a prolific stage performer, frequently in collaboration with her famous Actor/Director husband.

For much of her adult life, she suffered from bipolar disorder. She also suffered recurrent bouts of chronic tuberculosis, first diagnosed in the mid-1940s.

In May 1967, while rehearsing for a play, she became ill but seemed to recover after several weeks of rest. On 7 July 1967, she collapsed on her bedroom floor and succumbed to the disease.

She won the Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Blanch DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), as well as for her portrayal of the southern belle Scarlett O’Hara, alongside Clark Gable, in the epic American Civil War drama Gone with the Wind.

Vivien Leigh (her 2nd husband was Sir Laurence Olivier)

With Thanks to the Following People Original Concept: Andrea Warman, RN, BScN

TB Program Coordinator First Nations and Inuit Health Branch

Alberta Region, Health Canada

TB Program, York Region Community & Health Services: Jane Foster

Martina Cuillerier Kathryn Yearwood (student)

and Joan Bakewell, Health Educator, York Region