Rep: Natalie Cole diagnosed with Hep C

LOS ANGELES, July 16 (UPI) -- Natalie Cole's publicist has confirmed the Grammy Award-winning U.S. singer has been diagnosed with Hepatitis C.

Cole's representative told People magazine the 58-year-old recording artist discovered she had the disease during a routine check-up. The illness is thought to be linked to Cole's past drug abuse, People.com said.

"Natalie has had a terrific response to her medication and is now virus negative," Dr. Graham Woolf, associate clinical professor of medicine at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said in a statement to People. "This gives her an increased chance of cure."

Although Cole has experienced side effects from the medicine, such as fatigue, muscle aches and dehydration, Woolf said, "She is recovering from these."

Cole's new album, "Still Unforgettable," is set for release Sept. 9.