Natalie Cole hospitalized for hep C drug side-effects

Singer Natalie Cole, who suffers from hepatitis C, has been hospitalized due to side-effects of her medication and a heavy work schedule, according to her representative.

The Grammy-winning singer has been in a New York City hospital since Sept. 12 and is expected to be there for a few more days, said publicist Maureen O'Conner.

Cole, the daughter of Jazz crooner Nat King Cole, announced in July that she had hepatitis C, which she believes was contracted during her drug use many years ago.

The virus causes inflammation of the liver and was discovered during a routine exam.

"I've been so fortunate to have learned so much from my past experiences," said Cole at the time of the announcement.

"I am embraced by the love and support of my family and friends; I am committed to my belief in myself and in my abiding faith to meet this challenge with a heartfelt optimism and determination."

O'Connor said Cole was responding well to treatment and blamed the medicine she had been taking and a hectic schedule promoting her new album, Still Unforgettable, for causing problems.

Cole had been taking an antiviral medicine to treat hepatitis C but had been suffering side-effects including fatigue, muscle aches and dehydration,

She had taped several TV appearances and had appeared live on NBC's Today show on Sept. 11, a day before heading to hospital.

Cole may be best known for her 1991 multiple-Grammy-winning CD, Unforgettable ... With Love, on which she sang versions of her father's classics.

The 58-year-old performer, whose father died of lung cancer when she was 15, chronicled her addiction to cocaine, heroin and alcohol in her 2000 autobiography Angel On My Shoulder. She credits a long stay in rehab in the early 1980s with helping her overcome her addictions.