Ray J Used Fake Blood for ‘Attention’ During His Shocking Valentine’s Day Concert, Photographer Alleges

Ray J allegedly used fake blood during his recent concert.

A video obtained by KTAL 6 shows the rapper seemingly applying a substance to his face during his Feb. 14 performance at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana.

The “One Wish” artist, 45, drew attention after taking the stage on Valentine’s Day with what appeared to be bleeding eyes and a chest monitor streaked with blood.

Event photographer Tommy Nard II told the outlet he recorded video of Ray J lying down in an orange outfit and applying what he described as fake blood under his eyes.

“He loves the camera. He loves the attention. Anybody that knows him, it’s all theatrical,” Nard II said.

Nard II said he was confused by what he saw backstage. “I’m behind the scenes, like, ‘What are you doing?’” he recalled.

“I seen him literally put on the fake blood and things like that, and go out there with the crowd, which is very shocking that he’d do something like that,” he added.

However, Ray J’s manager, Melinda Santiago, disputed that account in a statement issued Wednesday, Feb. 18, saying the singer has been dealing with serious health and heart issues.

“The bottom line is Ray J has been in and out of the hospital dealing with health and heart issues. That is a fact,” Santiago said, adding that his medications can cause side effects.

She also criticized the videographer’s claims, saying her role is to protect the artist backstage and warning that the team may limit backstage access in the future.

The Shreveport Municipal Auditorium did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Santiago also said Ray J has been unwell but still performed. “We all know that Ray J has been under the weather, but all my artists that work with me gotta do their job whether they are bleeding or not,” she said.

Ahead of the concert, Ray J — born William Raymond Norwood Jr. — posted a video on Facebook and wrote, “I’m putting my life on the line for this show!!”

The performance came shortly after he publicly discussed his health concerns. In an Instagram video posted in January, he said he had been hospitalized and claimed his heart was “only beating like 25 percent,” adding that he believed things would improve if he stayed focused.

Later that month, he made further claims during an Instagram Live session shared on X, alleging doctors told him he may not live long and that his heart had turned “black” due to alcohol and drug abuse.

He was admitted to a hospital in Las Vegas on Jan. 7 for severe pneumonia and heart pain, according to an earlier report. He was previously hospitalized with pneumonia in 2021.