Renowned Ugandan musician Jose Chameleone is allegedly currently battling acute pancreatitis, a condition caused by prolonged alcohol consumption, as revealed by his eldest son, Abba Marcus.

The Leone Island Music Empire founder was rushed to the hospital on December 12, following a sudden illness that left fans and family deeply concerned about his health.

Taking to social media, Chameleone’s first-born son with ex-wife Daniella Atim opened up about his father’s health struggles, shedding light on years of alcohol addiction and its devastating impact.

In a heartfelt TikTok video, Marcus shared: “My father struggles with alcohol addiction and has been for a while now, hence the weight loss that people have been talking about. It completely disheartens me when I see the internet bashing my mother, making her the cause of everything. I am here to tell you that is completely false. My mother has nothing to do with it.”

Marcus also expressed frustration with his paternal grandparents. He claimed that their lack of involvement had negatively impacted not only his father but also his late uncles.

“Never in my life have I ever seen unconcerned parents that are so careless about their children’s well-being. In this case, I am talking about my father’s parents. So far, I have already lost two uncles because of complete irresponsibility. Honestly, I don’t even want to be called their grandchild because I don’t want any association with them. Nobody would know who the Mayanjas were if it wasn’t for my father,” Marcus lamented.

He added that even some of Chameleone’s friends appeared more interested in financial benefits than his well-being.

According to Marcus, doctors have issued a grave warning: if Chameleone continues his current drinking habits, he may have only two years to live.

“We need to work together to get my father the help that he needs,” Marcus pleaded. While expressing anger and frustration at his father’s choices, he also highlighted their far-reaching consequences for the family.

“I am very infuriated with my father because I feel like he makes selfish decisions. I have four siblings, and he still needs to be alive to take care of them. He has been told time and time again that this is a habit that needs to slow down for him to have a long life. It pains me that he still chose to drink and ruin his pancreas despite knowing this,” he said.

Acute pancreatitis is a sudden and potentially life-threatening inflammation of the pancreas, an organ critical for digestion and blood sugar regulation.

The condition occurs when digestive enzymes produced by the pancreas activate inside the organ instead of the small intestine, causing irritation and inflammation.

This malfunction leads the pancreas to digest its own tissues, resulting in severe pain and other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, fever, and a rapid pulse.

Reports of Chameleone’s critical condition have circulated online, prompting an admin from his official social media pages to call for prayers and support a few days before Marcus' allegation.

“We wish to extend our appreciation to all of Jose Chameleone’s fans for the prayers and well wishes for him at this time as he’s hospitalised in critical condition. Our prayers will be heard. Let’s keep strong. We also thank Nakasero Hospital for doing their best professionally,” part of the now-deleted post read.

The admin also warned against individuals attempting to visit Chameleone for content creation purposes, stating: “This is not a show where you come for the sake of it. You won’t be granted access because of your selfish interests. We are only expecting friends and fans of Joseph! Prayers from good people are worth much more than the devil’s wish. Get well soon, Joseph.”