Cry For Help! Natalie Cole's Pals Were 'Shocked' By Her Frail Body Before Death

Natalie Cole's closest friends barely recognized the nine-time grammy winner around the time she hit rock bottom, according to what insiders reveal in a new series by Reelz.

"I think she suffered from — of all people and all things — suffered from lack of self-confidence," singer and friend, Peabo Bryson, said on camera. But around 1982, her friends' worst fears about her were coming true.

"I saw her and I was just really shocked at the physical toll — whatever she was doing at that particular time — had done," Bryson went on. "I wasn't accustomed to seeing her that thin. I think it was at a point when she really wanted help. I think it was a cry for help."

As RadarOnline.com previously reported, despite her rising fame, Natalie's struggle with drug addiction threatened her career and life at every turn — until it all ended when she died in 2015 after she suffered an "extraordinary chain reaction of medical conditions."

EXCLUSIVE: Natalie Cole In Wheelchair After Kidney Failure Reports 

In a brand-new series by Reelz, her closest friends recall just how frightening it was to watch Nat 'King' Cole's daughter's dark past rapidly catch up with her at age 65.