Singer Alexander O’Neal, a founding member of soul funk band The Time, was sent back to the hospital hours after returning home from the ICU.
O’Neal, 72, and his wife, Cynthia, were hospitalized Dec. 5 following a fire at their Burnsville, Minnesota, apartment, TMZ reports. The fire, which began in a third-floor unit, spread through four apartments at the Willoway complex around 1:30 a.m., leaving them homeless.
“We are so happy to be alive,” Cynthia told TMZ. “We may not have a toothbrush, but we have a car! Our spirits remain good, and we are moving forward.”
O’Neal had come back home after being hospitalized for a rare bacterial pneumonia and an enlarged heart that required life support. Cynthia said O’Neal woke her with “his arms in the air.” She saw two separate blazes: one “bubble of fire” on a cord connected to O’Neal’s oxygen machine and another on the floor.
The musician burned himself trying to stomp out the flames with his bare feet, she said. When the fire spread to a mattress, they called 911 and began to evacuate, moving slowly because O’Neal couldn’t walk far.
A neighbor also spotted the fire and called 911.
Witnesses saw the couple loaded into an ambulance and taken to the hospital. Cynthia later confirmed she was released quickly, while O’Neal remained for further testing on his lungs. Cynthia said she and O’Neal inhaled significant smoke while walking three flights of stairs to exit the building.
The Time is know as the funk band closely linked to Prince and featured in the movies Purple Rain and Graffiti Bridge. O’Neal was later “fired” by Prince and replaced with Morris Day, one of Prince’s longtime friends. The band then became known as Morris Day and The Time.
O’Neal later enjoyed successful solo R&B career, scoring mid-80s hits such as “Wherever You Will Go,” “Never Knew Love Like This,” and “Sentimental.”
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