Lisa O'Connor/ZUMAPress.comNatalie Cole has her health on her mind.
The Grammy-winning diva was admitted to a New York City hospital earlier today after suffering a setback stemming from her arduous chemotherapy treatment for hepatitis C.
"She's been under treatrment for hep C, which has been laying dormant in her system from years ago," publicist Maureen O'Connor tells E! News.
"It's a pretty hefty treatment, and she's dealing with the side effects."
As a result, the 58-year-old Cole canceled an appearance tonight at a Midtown Borders to plug her latest album, Still Unforgettable, which debuted this week at No. 19 on the album charts. She has also scrapped all her October promotional stops and performances.
"I wanted to express my sincerest apologies as I was excited to greet my fans tonight, but my illness got the best of me," Cole said in a statement. "I look forward to seeing you all very soon."
The side effects of chemo, which include nausea, dehydration and fatigue, combined with a hectic schedule hyping her new record, finally forced her to seek medical attention.
The daughter of music legend Nat King Cole, Natalie learned she had the liver disease last spring and went public with her battle in July. Cole said she had contracted hep C as the result of her heroin addiction in the early '80s. The younger Cole chronicled her battle with drugs and her eventual sobriety in her 2000 memoir, Angel on My Shoulder.
Following an exhausting regimen of antiviral medication, which resulted in her shedding 15 pounds and losing her hair, Cole said in July that she had responded favorably and was now free of the blood-borne infectious disease and determined to get on with her career.
She will remain in the hospital a few more days before flying back to her home in Los Angeles, where she'll spend the next month recuperating.
"She needs to take care of her heath," says O'Connor.