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Vandross' Sprits High Despite Stroke
Sat Nov 1,12:23 PM ET Add Entertainment - AP to My Yahoo!



NEW YORK - Despite his debilitating stroke, Luther Vandross (news) has been able to keep up his spirits throughout his ordeal, says the singer's personal assistant.


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"His sense of humor is definitely intact," Max Szadek told The Associated Press in an interview this week. "Anyone would be depressed going though this, but he does bring a certain levity to the table with it."


Vandross, 52, suffered a life-threatening stroke in April. After some setbacks, he was released from a hospital to a rehabilitation center this summer and has been making progress, Szadek said. He can sing, walk with assistance — and will even correct your grammar.


Yet, Szadek said, Vandross is a long way from being fully recovered.


"Day to day, there's always going to be an inconsistency. That's the nature of the healing," he said. "So he is singing, but I don't want to mislead people that he's ready to perform next week. ... I think it's important for people to know that he is making progress, but it's slow going and it's steady."


Among the tasks Vandross is working on is trying to improve his short-term and long-term memory.


"I think he's performing to the best of his abilities, but it was a very serious injury," said Szadek.


Earlier this week, J Records released "Live at Radio City Music Hall," from Valentine's Day (news - web sites) performances Vandross did there in February. Szadek said Vandross is particularly proud of the album, his first live disc.


"I think he was showing people he was really at a pinnacle as a performer," Szadek said. "This performance is iconic in a way, because it really features everything he was about."