Vandross 'singing again after stroke'

Music legend Luther Vandross is singing again, months after suffering a devastating stroke, it emerged today.

The R&B artist was nearly killed in April when a blood vessel ruptured in his brain. He was also stricken by meningitis and pneumonia.

But friends and family of the 52-year-old Grammy winner told People magazine he was now receiving rehabilitation, and even singing.

A tracheotomy tube inserted to help his breathing was removed in June.

“His voice is the same as it ever was. He’s back,” said friend Patti LaBelle.

In fact, his mind was so sharp that he recently corrected her on the words of a song as they rehearsed a duet together.

Vandross undergoes five hours of therapy most days, and is learning how to get into and out of a car.

He also does physical exercises to regain his strength and mental puzzles such as crosswords.

Some days he plays blackjack, friends said.

Before he suffered the stroke at his Manhattan apartment, Vandross had battled weight problems, yo-yoing between 13 and 23 stones, as well as hypertension and diabetes.

Vandross, whose hits include Here and Now and Superstar, was admitted to hospital in a critical condition on April 16.

For weeks he was in a coma and unable to breathe without the aid of a life support machine.

His family spoke to People magazine’s October 20 issue.