Singer Kelly Price says she was recovering from Covid, wasn't missing

Grammy-nominated R&B and gospel singer Kelly Price, who made headlines Friday when reports surfaced that she was missing in the Atlanta area, broke her silence Sunday evening, saying she almost died from Covid-19.

In an emotional interview with TMZ, the 48-year-old artist said she wasn't missing, but was recovering from the virus.

"At some point, they lost me," she said. "I woke up some days later, a couple days later, and the first thing I remember is the team of doctors standing around me and asking me if I knew what year it was."

When asked to clarify, Price said, "I died."

It was unclear if she was vaccinated.

Price first addressed her Covid diagnosis in a July 29 Instagram post.

"I wasn't feeling so well last night. ... It has come back that I have Covid. ... I am very achy. I have no appetite. I am very weak. I can barely stay awake," she said in the post.

She said in the TMZ interview that she had the coronavirus for more than a week before she was hospitalized.

At some point, Price became the subject of a missing person's report, according to Sgt. Wayne Delk of the Cobb County Police Department in suburban Atlanta. No details were released, including who reported her missing.

Price's attorney, Monica Ewing, previously confirmed to NBC News that her client was safe, adding "she was released from the hospital with Covid and she went to a quiet place and she’s trying to recover."

In the TMZ interview, Price explained she was suffering from long-term Covid, where people experience lingering symptoms such as brain fog, exhaustion and a racing heart.

The singer added she would need to fully recover before she performed in concert again. She said she received her first negative Covid test about a week ago.

"I feel like the only way I can focus on me is to actually focus on me," she said.

Early Monday, Price shared a message with her nearly 1 million Instagram followers. It was her first post since she announced her Covid diagnosis in July.

"Thank you for your love, concern and prayers," she wrote. "I truly appreciate them and all Of you who sincerely did them. They are not lost on me. I promise. I'm going back into solace and silence Where I can put first things first and that is to be restored to be healthy and to be whole."

She will not be releasing any additional statements, according to her attorney.

"Once she is further along in her recovery and rehabilitation journey, she will speak about her Covid experience," Ewing said in a statement.

In 1998, Price reached No. 1 on Billboard's adult R&B airplay chart with her song "Friend of Mine."

The Motown Gospel record label earlier this year announced it signed Price to a deal that included the spring release of her extended play record "Grace."