Doctor Dré Reveals He Has Lost Eyesight To His Ongoing Battle With Diabetes (Video)

Doctor Dré and Ed Lover are behind many fans’ fondest memories of Hip-Hop on television. The former Yo! MTV Rap hosts added comedy, swagger, and lots of authenticity to the show between 1989 and 1995. Those TV talents extended to making music, 1993 film Who’s The Man?, and radio.

For more than three years, Doctor Dré (aka André Brown) has publicly battled type 2 diabetes. In an interview with ABC 7 Chicago’s Here And Now, the Long Island, New Yorker updated fans on his condition. “I’m a type 2 diabetic who lost his vision,” Dre tells host near the conclusion of the special. “I have a foundation called The Doctor Dré V.I.C.” Dré later clarifies that he had a detached retina and scar tissue. He notes that, at times, his vision returns, sporadically. “I’ve been going through a whole resurgence of my life. I had stopped [working] at one point, and now I’m doing this. Through the blessings of the late, great Dick Gregory and some people he’s known, I’ve worked with different holistic doctors out there to change what goes in my body, and actually work with trying to do the best. We can treat diabetes.”

Yo! Former MTV Host Doctor Dré Wants to Take Diabetes to Task

Doctor Dré adds that he is planning an upcoming event promoting awareness, especially in the male community.

The interview also features Dré recalling the origins of his career, stemming from radio and his role in Hip-Hop group, Original Concept.

Yo! MTV Raps Host Doctor Dré Calls Straight Outta Compton “Straight Outta Fiction” (Audio)

Doctor Dré and Chuck D currently have a publishing company. Brown has an upcoming text, Doctor Dré: Episodes 1989-1995. Those years neatly overlap with his MTV tenure.

#BonusBeat: A special Take It Personal Radio episode featuring Doctor Dré: