'90s pop star Jewel nearly died because a hospital wouldn't treat her

Before she became one of the top female stars of the '90s, singer-songwriter Jewel spent a particularly low period living in her car. But homelessness wasn't the worst of the then-teen's problems.

The 41-year-old, whose real name is Jewel Kilcher, has revealed that her dire financial situation nearly killed her.

"I almost died in an emergency room because they didn't see me because I didn't have [health] insurance," she told USA Today.com.

"Thankfully, a doctor had seen me get turned away. I was dying of lead poisoning, and he gave me some antibiotics and saved my life."

But there were more tough times immediately ahead.

"The car I was living in got stolen," she recalled. "And when you don't have a physical address, much less of an education, it's very, very difficult to get a job and break that poverty cycle."

Jewel's career would eventually take off with her massive 1995 debut album Pieces of You. After her pop breakthrough, she had a string of big hits (including the Aussie Top 10s 'You Were Meant for Me' and 'Intuition') and even dated Sean Penn for a while.