By Alan Duke, CNN
LOS ANGELES (CNN) — Rapper Lil Wayne’s “just resting” two days after suffering a seizure that sent him to a Los Angeles hospital and triggered media reports that he was near death.
Details about the Grammy-winning and multiplatinum-selling hip hop artist’s medical problem have been few, but it appears the reports of his demise were exaggerated.
“He’s good, just resting,” said a close friend who visited the rapper at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Saturday night.
Lil Wayne fans around the world were stunned by the reports. Twitter lit up with rumors, spreading fears of the worst for Wayne’s outcome, but a Tweet in his name attempted to calm the tempest. “I’m good everybody,” read a message from Lil Wayne’s Twitter account Friday evening. “Thnx for the prayers and love.”
There was no weeping for “Weezy,” as he’s known among his friends, in the hallway near his hospital room Friday night. They talked more about a Twitter feud that erupted Friday between rappers Gucci Mane and Waka Flocka than about Lil Wayne’s condition.
Fellow rapper Drake was one of several of Lil Wayne’s Young Money record label mates who have visited him since Friday night.
Young Money publicist Sarah Cunningham acknowledged Friday that Lil Wayne had had a seizure, but members of the New Orleans artist’s camp have shot down reports that he was near death.
“Dont believe the nonsense about comas and tubes to breathe … that’s false!!” tweeted Mack Maine, the president of Lil Wayne’s Young Money label, around 5:20 p.m. (8:20 p.m. ET) Friday.
Maine didn’t offer much detail, though he did say that he and Lil Wayne had been watching the Syracuse University Orange play the Georgetown Hoyas in the Big East men’s basketball tournament.
“Wayne is alive and well!” the record label president wrote on Twitter.
The rapper’s independent publicist, Kia Selby, said only, “Lil Wayne is doing well.” She strongly denied reports he was in a medically induced coma, as reported by TMZ.
Born Dwayne Carter, Lil Wayne is one of the rap world’s most successful artists. He won best rap album for “Tha Carter III” at the 2008 Grammy awards and took home three more Grammys the next year.
Beyond winning over critics, he’s also been a commercial success. Last September, Billboard reported the rapper had tallied 109 hits on its Hot 100, surpassing the record previously held by Elvis Presley.
But he’s also run into trouble outside the studio and off stage.
Lil Wayne was arrested in 2007 outside New York City’s Beacon Theater after police said they found a .40-caliber pistol on his tour bus. He pleaded guilty to felony gun charges and spending eight months at New York’s Rikers Island jail.
CNN’s Denise Quan contributed to this report.
