It may be hard to overdose on the sex and the rock 'n' roll, but many of history's most famous musicians didn't have much trouble becoming addicted to drugs. Fortunately, some of the best rockstars to go into rehab have managed to bounced back and create some of their best work. Then again, several more, sadly, have not. What follows is a mixed bag of both.
Anthony Kiedis
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Any fan of rock 'n' roll memoirs has probably scrolled through a few hundred pages of "Scar Tissue," one of the best of its kind. In it, Red Hot Chili Peppers' drug-addled wild man Anthony Kiedis divulges that he has been a funky junkie for most of his career since the band's start in the early '80s. After multiple stints of various courses of drug use, the singer battled through rehab over several albums before finally cleaning up in 2007, causing the band's key guitarist to split.
Trent Reznor
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Many people liked Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor better when he was high back in the '90s, but he went into rehab in 1999 after accidentally overdosing on heroin while in support of "The Fragile." Considered one of rock history's greatest frontmen, Reznor went on to successfully release more NIN albums, start a side project called How to Destroy Angels and snag an Oscar for his score of "The Social Network."
Courtney Love
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After the loss of Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love continued on with her heroin addiction until 1996, along with the soon-after release of "Live With This" and the rise of Hole. After the 1998 success of "Celebrity Skin," Hole split and left Love alone with her drug habits, flying solo in 2003 and winding up in rehab by 2004 after a suicide attempt. She returned for another round in 2005. Since 2007, however, she has remained clean and sober.
David Bowie
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One of the most successful singers to fly solo, David Bowie headed into rehab briefly after his peak of fame in the late '70s. He was living in Berlin and heavily using cocaine while recording "Station to Station," a rocky-reviewed 1976 record released shortly after the rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust, whose own drug influence appears to be a little more prevalent.
Iggy Pop
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The Stooges frontman popped into rehab in 1976 following his time with the band, which ended in 1974 after a drug-fueled fight with some bikers after their final show. Drugs would suspend Iggy Pop from working, but his time in Berlin with David Bowie was their attempt to isolate and wean themselves of their drug addictions together. Bowie visited Pop in Los Angeles during his rehab, brought him along on his "Station to Station" tour and then ended up checking himself into rehab, as well. By 1980, Pop published an autobiography titled "I Need More."
Ozzy Osbourne
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No stranger to drugs, rehab, reality TV or rock 'n roll mugshots, the Black Sabbath replacement singer who replaced the singers who replaced him - yeah, sound that one out - remains the most youthful of the elderly musicians who are somehow still rocking. An avid drug abuser since the early '70s, Ozzy Osbourne didn't check himself into rehab until 1986 before going solo, returning to Black Sabbath, suffering hearing loss and returning to drugs until 2013 at the age of 64. No wonder he's in such good shape.
Steven Tyler
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Several sources, including Steven Tyler himself, have suggested the Aerosmith singer has "blown" through $20 million worth of cocaine in his lifetime. The frontman was even quoted as saying he'd snorted half of Peru. At one point, he was basically broke due to his coke and heroin habit, which ultimately lead to multiple stints of rehab, the most successful being his eighth one in 2009.
Pete Doherty
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Actor, artist and The Libertines singer Pete Doherty always struggled with drugs and the law, with crack, heroin and weed being his main vices. His somewhat recent disappearance in late 2014, labeled a "medical emergency," had people wondering. By early 2015, his overseas Thailand rehab had been completed and the singer has since returned to his music career with new releases.
Elton John
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Shortly after the overwhelming success of "Yellow Brick Road," the Grammy-winning pianist suffered from a drug overdose while also struggling with bulimia during Elton Week of 1975 in Los Angeles. However, he still managed to release two albums that year, including "Rock of the Westies," along with another album the following year.
Keith Urban
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The country star first checked himself into rehab for drug and alcohol abuse in 1998 after extensive cocaine use. He would return to rehab in 2006, just months after marrying Nicole Kidman, citing that letting his guard down in recovery was a bad idea. After completing rehab in 2007, the release of "Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy Thing" followed.
Anthony Kiedis
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Any fan of rock 'n' roll memoirs has probably scrolled through a few hundred pages of "Scar Tissue," one of the best of its kind. In it, Red Hot Chili Peppers' drug-addled wild man Anthony Kiedis divulges that he has been a funky junkie for most of his career since the band's start in the early '80s. After multiple stints of various courses of drug use, the singer battled through rehab over several albums before finally cleaning up in 2007, causing the band's key guitarist to split.
Trent Reznor
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Many people liked Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor better when he was high back in the '90s, but he went into rehab in 1999 after accidentally overdosing on heroin while in support of "The Fragile." Considered one of rock history's greatest frontmen, Reznor went on to successfully release more NIN albums, start a side project called How to Destroy Angels and snag an Oscar for his score of "The Social Network."
Courtney Love
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
After the loss of Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love continued on with her heroin addiction until 1996, along with the soon-after release of "Live With This" and the rise of Hole. After the 1998 success of "Celebrity Skin," Hole split and left Love alone with her drug habits, flying solo in 2003 and winding up in rehab by 2004 after a suicide attempt. She returned for another round in 2005. Since 2007, however, she has remained clean and sober.
David Bowie
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
One of the most successful singers to fly solo, David Bowie headed into rehab briefly after his peak of fame in the late '70s. He was living in Berlin and heavily using cocaine while recording "Station to Station," a rocky-reviewed 1976 record released shortly after the rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust, whose own drug influence appears to be a little more prevalent.
Iggy Pop
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The Stooges frontman popped into rehab in 1976 following his time with the band, which ended in 1974 after a drug-fueled fight with some bikers after their final show. Drugs would suspend Iggy Pop from working, but his time in Berlin with David Bowie was their attempt to isolate and wean themselves of their drug addictions together. Bowie visited Pop in Los Angeles during his rehab, brought him along on his "Station to Station" tour and then ended up checking himself into rehab, as well. By 1980, Pop published an autobiography titled "I Need More."
Ozzy Osbourne
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
No stranger to drugs, rehab, reality TV or rock 'n roll mugshots, the Black Sabbath replacement singer who replaced the singers who replaced him - yeah, sound that one out - remains the most youthful of the elderly musicians who are somehow still rocking. An avid drug abuser since the early '70s, Ozzy Osbourne didn't check himself into rehab until 1986 before going solo, returning to Black Sabbath, suffering hearing loss and returning to drugs until 2013 at the age of 64. No wonder he's in such good shape.
Steven Tyler
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Several sources, including Steven Tyler himself, have suggested the Aerosmith singer has "blown" through $20 million worth of cocaine in his lifetime. The frontman was even quoted as saying he'd snorted half of Peru. At one point, he was basically broke due to his coke and heroin habit, which ultimately lead to multiple stints of rehab, the most successful being his eighth one in 2009.
Pete Doherty
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Actor, artist and The Libertines singer Pete Doherty always struggled with drugs and the law, with crack, heroin and weed being his main vices. His somewhat recent disappearance in late 2014, labeled a "medical emergency," had people wondering. By early 2015, his overseas Thailand rehab had been completed and the singer has since returned to his music career with new releases.
Elton John
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Shortly after the overwhelming success of "Yellow Brick Road," the Grammy-winning pianist suffered from a drug overdose while also struggling with bulimia during Elton Week of 1975 in Los Angeles. However, he still managed to release two albums that year, including "Rock of the Westies," along with another album the following year.
Keith Urban
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The country star first checked himself into rehab for drug and alcohol abuse in 1998 after extensive cocaine use. He would return to rehab in 2006, just months after marrying Nicole Kidman, citing that letting his guard down in recovery was a bad idea. After completing rehab in 2007, the release of "Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy Thing" followed.