Chaka Khan Battled Prescription Addiction After Prince's Death

Yvette Marie Stevens, better known by her stage name Chaka Khan, said that Prince’s death was a wake-up call for her to address her own struggle with drugs in an interview with The Sun published last week.

"I've had problems to deal with," she said in the interview. "I had to get my home life and my life straight."

Prince, who penned one of Chaka Khan’s biggest hits, ‘I Feel For You’, died of an overdose in 2016. 

Before his death, Khan and Prince had planned to create a music label together, though the idea never became a reality. "It was going to be him, myself and Miles Davis, and we were also going to do an album together," she told The Sun. "I have no doubt we will do one in heaven."

In the same year as Prince's death, Khan entered rehab to combat her own pain medication dependency.

Eventually finding success in battling her addiction, Khan attributes her recovery in large part to her religious faith.  In the same interview she said, "When I was in rehab a few years ago, I got through it with my faith.

"I made up a prayer which I say before I go to bed and first thing when I wake up in the morning. My strong faith has helped me get through it."

The iconic Funk musician boasts a plethora of awards (including 10 Grammy's), over 70 million record sales to her name, an extensive list of collaborations with high profile musicians, and a history of fantastic performances including that at Ireland's All Together Now Festival last August.

After 12 years, the 65-year-old singer and songwriter is set to release a new album this Friday, February 15, entitled Hello Happiness, which marks her first LP since 2007, when she released Funk This.

"It's important I make new music," she said. "I love it. I'm sick of singing I Feel For You. I just die every time I sing it but I have to. So I'm happy about these new songs. They're cool."

The songwriter, actor, author, philanthropist, entrepreneur and activist has released 22 albums and notched up 10 US No. 1 singles over the course of her stellar career.