Natalie Cole's Battle with Hepatitis C

Natalie Cole has just begun the fight of her life. The Grammy winning singer is battling hepatitis C, and tonight on ET she’s sharing her story for the very first time.

“In 1980-1982, I was doing heroin,” reveals Natalie, tracing the possible cause of contracting the disease. “The first day that ‘This Will Be’ came out on the radio I was on my way to get heroin.”

While she overcame her drug problems long ago, she’s paying the price today.

“This is a virus that was dormant in my body for 25 years,” she explains. “I had no symptoms, was feeling great, working out like a crazy person — and this just keeled me over, like a feather.”