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Kid 'n Play's Christopher Reid Reveals Heart Transplant

Published 6 February 2026

Christopher "Kid" Reid, the rapper and actor best known as one half of the 1980s and 1990s hip-hop duo Kid 'n Play, revealed on Thursday that he underwent a heart transplant last year after a diagnosis of congestive heart failure. The 61-year-old Bronx native shared his story for the first time during an interview on Good Morning America, describing how symptoms that began last summer led to a life-saving procedure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Reid first noticed fatigue and shortness of breath around mid-2023, initially attributing them to the rigors of aging and decades on the road. "I think sometimes you kinda just chalk it up to, you know, I'm gettin' older, you know. The road is harsh," he told GMA co-anchor Michael Strahan. As the symptoms intensified, Reid visited the emergency room in July, where doctors diagnosed him with congestive heart failure, a condition in which the heart muscle does not pump blood effectively.

He was prescribed medication to manage the issue, but at a follow-up appointment three weeks later, his cardiologist, Dr. Erika Jones, observed rapid swelling that raised alarms. "He came in very swollen again, and that is a little unusual...

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