Justin Timberlake makes Lyme disease public

Pop star Justin Timberlake, 44, has announced in an emotional posting on Instagram to be ill with Lyme-Borreliosis.

After a few criticism of fans of his world tour just finished, the 44-year-old explained on Thursday in the online service Instagram: “Among other things, I fought with some health problems and was diagnosed with Lyme-Borreliosis”.

Life with this disease could be mentally and physically “relentlessly abandoning”, wrote the “Cry Me a River” singer.

He was initially shocked by the diagnosis, but it was an explanation for why he felt severe nerve pain or fatigue and weakness in appearances.

Nevertheless, he decided to continue his tour, because the joy when performing was stronger than the stress for his body.

Ticks can, among other things, transmit the so-called Lyme disease, a bacterial infectious disease that can damage the nervous system and the joints.

The singer stated that through his openness to the disease, he hoped to help others affected and create more connection.

He is usually a rather private person, but now he wants to present his problems more transparent so that his behavior is not misunderstood.

The 44-year-old is married to actress Jessica Biel and has two children. Timberlake has been traveling worldwide with his “Forget Tomorrow World” tour since April 2024. In mid-July he performed at the Lollapalooza Festival in Berlin.

Last year he had canceled several concerts at short notice. Timberlake made headlines when he was arrested at the wheel in June 2024. He later gained guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Timberlake became known as a member of the Boyband NSYNC before starting a solo career and was finally successful as an actor. He was awarded the EMMY television award four times and is ten times the winner of the Grammy Music Prize. Between 1999 and 2002, the musician was in a relationship with the US singer Britney Spears.