AceShowbiz - Rapper Styles P is convinced he was an early sufferer of COVID-19 after falling so ill, he "almost died."

The "Lox" star, real name David Styles, reveals he was left temporarily incapacitated at the start of the year, when U.S. officials had yet to confirm any cases of the coronavirus in America, and although he didn't receive an official diagnosis, Styles believes the flu-like disease was to blame for leaving him bedridden for days.

In a series of Twitter posts, he told fans, "I almost died in January. And I never get the flu and if I do it's a day or two."

"In January I was down for a week and lost about 8 pounds !! I had the rona !! It had to be the Rona (sic)!!!!"

Styles, who owns a chain of juice bars in New York, turned to natural remedies and a "juice / tea diet" with lots of rest to help him overcome the health crisis, and now he's back on his feet, he's encouraging fans to heed social distancing advice and do what they can to bolster their immune systems.

"im no doctor but stay away from people n do things to boost your immune system n rest up (sic)," he added. "And spread the word."

Styles isn't the only rapper to suspect a recent illness was the result of the coronavirus - on Tuesday (March 24), Meek Mill shared what he thought was his brush with the highly-contagious disease via Twitter.

"I was extremely sick in December around christmas time with flu like symptoms...," he wrote. "Everyday I said to myself a older person cannot survive this! I lost like 15 pounds and could barely move! I never been that sick... a doctor never told me what it was (sic)."

His comments emerged shortly after fellow hip-hop star Slim Thug revealed he had tested positive for COVID-19, just like Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Idris Elba, Placido Domingo, Jackson Browne, and Bon Jovi star David Bryan.

More than 450,000 confirmed coronavirus cases have been reported worldwide to date, with over 20,500 deaths.