Music and Drugs: The Tragic Love Affair
Antonio Jacobs
March 2003
We have made our greatest music personalities into gods, glorifying their exploits with sex, drugs and alcohol with legendary status. The ten greatest Rock and Roll legends picked in a recent VH1 Poll are all drug users.i Louis Armstrong, the linchpin in the erector set that is jazz, smoked pot daily, and Charlie Parker, possibly the greatest jazz musician of his generation and one of the creators of the jazz style known as bebop, destroyed his body and soul with heroin. The Beatles, transformers of the music industry with their innovative interpretation of American black music, spearheading the 1960’s phenomenon dubbed the “British invasion” heavily experimented with a variety of drugs. Frankie Lymon, the mold in which Michael Jackson was made, overdosed on heroin at age 26. Elvis Presley nearly began his career on a diet of sleeping pills. Even Ludwig von Beethoven, possibly the greatest composer ever, had problems with alcohol.
Why are drugs and the use of drugs so prominent in musical life? Would the great musicians of the ages have created such beautiful, unforgettable, powerful and captivating music without the influence of substances like alcohol, cocaine, opium and heroin? Would untimely, and needless deaths been avoided if not for these terribly addictive substances? Would Aaliyah still be alive, if the pilot of her private jet had not been under the influence of cocaine? Could Left Eye have avoided her tragic and untimely death had she not a past with alcohol abuse? Have drugs and music always been intertwined, since the dawn of time? And why is drug use among musicians considered so glamorous, when its abuse has caused the ruination and death of so many talented individuals throughout the years?
While I cannot claim an answer to any of these questions, I can organize the facts in such a way that suggest the relationship between musicians and drugs is a complex, productive, controversial, tumultuous and syncretic relationship, which often leaves one of the partners dead or insane (usually the musician partner). My report will list the favorite drugs of musicians throughout the ages, and discuss the charming characteristics of at least eight major substances, in terms of how those substances affect musicians positively and negatively. I will plot the history of the relationship of music and drugs, and how each has evolved over the years. I will discuss in detail the untimely death of several pivotal musical figures, how music was changed due to their influence, how their death affected the music community, and how those musicians were changed due to the influence of drugs. I will discuss the survivors of drug use, and strategies those survivors used to break their relationship with drugs. I will discuss the love triangle of music, drugs and the criminal element. Finally, I will discuss the many lessons musicians of today have learned, or maybe not learned from the musicians of the past about drug use.
The Perfect Drug
Musicians are a multi-talented and intelligent lot, with a membership that includes type-A personalities, perfectionists, social animals, geniuses, and psychotics. Even without the assistance of drugs, this charismatic group of artists would still chew up the landscape and cause havoc and mayhem wherever they go. Granted, the type of damage musicians have inflicted upon their fans, their patrons, their furniture and on their instruments while under the influence is enough evidence to convict their drug use as a negative aspect of the profession. Unfortunately, this view is one-sided. Many musicians will claim their most poignant of compositions were created while they were high. And yet, other musicians claim that their best work was created while they were sober and sane. To each their own? Is it simply a chemistry issue? How involved are drugs in the development of music and musicians?
To discuss the issue further, we must first look at the type of drug musicians prefer. Let us first eliminate obvious non-competitors from our list, such as Lithium. Now, Lithium is a highly prescribed control for schitzophrenia, manic depression, and bi-polar disorder. People under the influence of Lithium become sluggish, and have difficulty concentrating. It slows down their metabolism, which in turn can cause weight gain. Many Lithium takers spend a lot of time sleeping. Not exactly the right conditions for a working musician, is it? If Elvis Presley were schitzophrenic, they would have prescribed Lithium to control the hallucinations, the voices, the distorted view of reality. Elvis, in his defense, would never take Lithium, because Elvis preferred to be in total control of his sleeping patterns, and taking Lithium would make that impossible. I’ll save the delicate cocktail of pills Elvis was actually taking for another chapter.
So what kind of drugs would a musician not take? Well, it depends on the musician. But I think we can safely postulate that any substance that would diminish or destroy the creative process entirely would not be the preference of a musician. This will eliminate certain prescription drugs that affect the ability to concentrate or have the additional benefit of causing sleepiness. That being said, we cannot rule out sleeping pills, which many people use simply to sleep, or to combat insomnia, or as a way to wind down after intense activity. This also does not rule out substances that are known to destroy brain cells; that’s short-sighted, since studies report that the death of brain cells sometimes aid in cognitive development.ii This does not mean that some musicians did not lose control of their musical abilities because of drug use; there are several cases. And we also have to rule out apropriate use of drugs, like Gloria Estefan, who used pain killers after her back breaking automobile accident in 1997. And alternative therapies must also be eliminated, such as homeopathic remedies, acupunture and shock treatment.iii
It may be important also to mention other factors that affect creativity and mental health of the musician. Environment, upbringing, physical health, mental illness and social relationships are definite contributors to the creative process, and these factors are also intrinsic to the decision to take drugs. If a musician is in a drug-saturated environment, he may decide to take drugs. If a musician’s parents were drug users, then she may decide to emulate her parents and take drugs. If a musican’s parents did not take drugs, or were uncommonly strict, a musician may use drugs as a tool of rebellion. If a musician is sick, they may decide to use drugs to function normally or at the very least, creatively. A musician with a non-diagnosed mental illness may take drugs of their own choosing to self-medicate. A musician whose mental illness is misdiagnosed may be given inappropriate medication, which in turn the musician mixed with drugs of his own choosing, causing interesting results. A musician whose mental illness is properly diagnosed may receive a prescription that they do not agree with, side effect-wise. So, a musician may use another medication in its place, because “it works.” A musician may be involved with a drug user, and become involved in drugs through association. A musician may be in a troubled relationship, using drugs as an escape. A musician may have lost a loved one, or a relationship ends, and decides to use drugs to help them deal with the loss.
Now, let’s investigate the effects musicians would look for in a perfect drug. Like most drug users, musicians who use drugs may wish to alleviate stress or combat pain. A musician’s stress is derived from a variety of factors that are different than your average monkey. For example, there are stresses that only come from performance - stage fright, for instance. A musician may only be able to perform well in an altered state. Drugs that lower inhibition and depressants are helpful in this case. Musicians sometime work long hours and at unusual times, say, three in the morning at the recording studio. Stimulants are handy in that scenario. And don’t forget, musicians are people too, subject to the same stress that any body is susceptible to.
Musicians are also susceptible to the rigors of performance; rigors that can cause chronic conditions and lifelong agony. The technical facility and dexterity required to play many musical instruments brings along tendonits, arthritis, carpel tunnel syndrome, and other osteo-based and joint diseases. So, while a musician can perform at high levels on the stage, it may take all their energy just to be awake when they are not. At first glance, Ozzy Osbourne glamourizes this condition on his TV show. Upon deeper reflection, I began to think that Ozzy overdoes the flat affect. Of course, he could be totally fried, and that his performance on the reality-based show is no performance at all, but a perfectly frank look at the negative consequence of chronic drug use. It’s a little scary.
The intensity of performance exhibited by most rock stars also supports my claim, that a musician may put so much into their perfomance, that in order to function near to normal at other times they need supplements. And because a musician may enjoy performance so much, thay will continue to perform at a high rate, regardless of the cost to their health.
Success is also a factor. Tempted by stardom, and the fact that in order to be discovered, you must be seen, a musician will work and perform as often as possible. How does this particular work ethic affect the mind? The body? Is it any wonder that our biggest stars complain of overwork, and sometimes collapse on stage because of exhaustion? How disappointing is it to the fans when an artist has to cancel tours dates because they are simply too tired to go on?
And thus, drugs are introduced into the environment. After becoming introduced to Marijuana, Louis Armstrong required all of his musicians to consume it, since Louis believed that the drug made musicians play better. Miles Davis began to take cocaine while on the road with Billy Eckstine’s orchestra, and discovered that the drug gave him a “sudden burst of energy.vv Ian McLagan describes his altered state of mind as a member of the Small Faces, and how they would often perform “very stoned.” On the other hand, Ringo Starr, drummer for the Beatles, claims his drug use during the band’s heyday left him with no memory of that time at all.
The Top Ten
Which brings us to our “top ten” list of favorite drugs abused by musicians. Any of these drugs have deep, intimate relationships with their musician partners, which can last several years, or be stunted if too intense. In other words, here are the drugs that musicians have relationships with:
10. Indiscriminant addiction – A musician may have unfortunately become involved in a vicious cycle, where additional drugs have been added to his diet inadvertantly through careless drug use. This is when a musician may have first been using a particular drug, say, cocaine, and due to the manner in which the drug is taken, say, smoked, a musician can mistake their preferred drug with another that is taken in the same manner. For example, Heroin and cocaine are administered in similar fashions, and are sometimes used by dealers to “cut” each other.ii Why would a dealer do such a thing? A number of reasons come to mind, two being to keep their clent base addicted and to punish those who welch on payments. Miles Davis said in his autobiography that Freddie Webster, a fellow musician, was given a dose of heroin cut with strychnine, which, of course, led to his death.
9. Food – Not really a drug, per se, although certain foods contain some rather addictive substances that are just as addictive as drugs. During the ‘60s, hashish brownies became very popular among rock musicians. Alcoholic beverages are often consumed with meals. Caffeine, a stimulant, is found in many food products, such as coffee, Coca-Cola®, and tea. The poppy seed is an ingredient found many foods (the poppy seed bagel), and is the plant where drugs such as morphine, opium, and heroin come from. Therefore, many foods have drugs in them, and are just as addictive.
8. Cigarettes and Tobacco – Nicotine, the susbstance that makes cigarettes so addictive is probably the most abused drug on the planet, since the method of administration is so efficient. Cigarettes allow nicotine to enter the body through the lungs. NIDA reports that cigarette smoking “results in rapid distribution of nicotine throughout the body, reaching the brain within 10 seconds of inhalation.”iii What’s funny is that so many singers are also smokers, and how smoking causes so many lung diseases, such as cancer of the lungs and emphysema. Nat ‘King’ Cole is a sad example of the consequences of nicotine addiction, as is my own grandfather, Jamil Ibrahim, a singer and jazz bassist, having died from complications stemming from lung cancer and emphysema respectively.
7. Hallucinogens – A very popular type of drug during the sixties, hallucinogens were abused because many musicians thought this drug type would enhance their creative abilities. Surprisingly, hallucinogens are still very popular among musicians today, considered a “treat,” and not viewed as harmful at all. Widely known as acid, hallucinogens are distributed on blotter paper or on adhesive stamps. Licking the stamps administers the drug; the effects are immediate.
6. Crack – Okay, this drug is a derivative of cocaine, easy to manufacture and the major drug of the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. It’s cheapness and easy manufacture make it the preferred drug in urban communities; it use and dissemination has become associated with hip-hop culture. Of course, its highly addictive nature destroyed any musician who became addicted to it. Only in very rare cases does any person addicted to this substance regain their full abilities back, especially musicians. In that aspect, crack cocaine did to the music community in the eighties what heroin did to jazz in the sixties.
5. Pills – A “Hollywood” drug, pills cover a variety of drug types. Sleeping pills, painkillers, stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens: all abused by the entertainment aristocracy, and covered up by the same. Our greatest American heroes, Elvis, Judy Garland, Dorothy Dandridge, all suffered because of their addiction to pills.
4. Cocaine (the snorted version) – Cocaine, or coke, is a very popular peformance drug among musicians. Obviously, the act of snorting a white, powdery substance is a suspect practice at best. Consider about Marvin Gaye, whose cocaine habit effectively destroyed his nasal passages. I think the total destruction of the catilage in one’s nose an effective deterrant for this type of habit. Of course, understand that intranasal transmission of the drug is a relatively quick way of introducing the drug to the bloodstream, which “heightens the intensity of its effects.”iiii
3. Heroin – Among the drugs on this list, no drug has a more notorious reputation than heroin. The poppy plant, known for its narcotic properities, was converted into a smokable form, opium, as far back as 4000 B.C. An alcoholic extract, laudanum, was available in Europe during the eighteeth century. Opium enjoyed notoriety in the late nineteeth century. Once, the active principle in opium, morphine, was isolated, that principle became widely used as a painkiller during the early twentieth century. However, morphine lost popularlity among the medical communitiy due to its highly addictive nature. Some physicians, such as Dr. Frederick Spencer, believe that narcotics have received a bad rap over the years, and lack of use is not a good medical decision. When administered responsibly, morphine is a very effective pain reducer.
Heroin use has been popular among musicians since the 1930’s, and amid a population of addicts who overdose in alarming quantities, it does not seem like use of the highly addictive drug has waned over the years. In fact, because of how poorly refined heroin is manufactured by dealers, it is easy to get a bad batch. Many addicts do not care about this – they want their fix. Even so, purity and availability of the drug has increased significantly in the last twenty-five years. One article posted on the NDSN website gives an increase of purity “from an average of 4% in 1980 to 40% in 1995.”xx So many jazz musicians were affected by heroin use, it is prohibitive to list them. Among the masses, we can name exceptional talent such as Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday,
2. Alcohol – Probably the most common drug, and the easiest to abuse. It’s legal, relatively inexpensive, and socially acceptable. Except for Prohibition, which started as early as the 1820s in the U.S. and Canada, social acceptance of alcohol has neither waxed nor waned. Musicians are especially susceptible to alcohol abuse, mainly because of where they work. Saloons, restaurants and other drinking establishments are the venues for musicians. Alcohol is served in larger venues as well, such as stadiums and arenas. These two factors, availability and acceptibility, puts alcohol high on our list of lovers.
1. Marijuana – The number one. The favorite. The harmless one. But this is the most popular drug among musicians, simply because it appears to be the only drug has not caused a direct death. It’s surprising to realize just how many famous musicians enjoy this drug, especially those who are held up as “wholesome.” John Denver and Louis Armstrong come to mind. Snopp Dogg, Redman, Method Man, and the Notorious B.I.G. have promoted pot-smoking in the past. Musicians love this drug, but they can’t remember why. Maybe it’s because marijuana affects the short-term memory. We’ll discuss that later as well.
My theory about Musicians and Steroids
Another drug, anabolic steroids, is not mentioned in the research I’ve done so far, and I haven’t included in my list, though I believe that steroid use is prevalent among those musicians most concerned with body image. As of yet, there is no conclusive evidence to suggest this; yet I remained convinced that there is some abuse of anabolic steroids among the music community. NIDA reports that bodybuilders and weightlifters began to use anabolic steroids after “scientists discovered that (their use) could facilitate the growth of skeletal muscle” in the 1930’sx. By the fifties, sports athletes were using steroids to enhance their performance. Anabolic steroid use became so out of control, athletes found using them were banned from official competitions, such as the Olympics.ii
Since most studies done on Anabolic steroid use focuses on athletes, suggesting abuse within the music community is speculation. The circumstancial evidence, however, is rather convincing. First, musicians abuse other drugs for all sorts of reasons. Unfortunately, any investigation done on drug use among musicians is superficial and biographical, and leans toward the dramatic side, such as overdose and public spectacle. Second, body image is very important to pop stars, and the demand to look a certain way is often critical to one’s success. It is plausible to suggest that an artist who wishes to sculpt their bodies within a certain ideal may experiment with steroids in order to do so. Third, musicians usually make the decision to use drugs early, between the ages of 16 and 20. NIDA suggests that “some adolescents abuse steroids as part of high-risk behaviors” which include “abusing other illicit drugs.”iii Since adolescence is the time when most make decisions about career and social behavior, young musicians have several reasons to decide to abuse anabolic steroids. One, it builds muscle, very important to young men. Two, it improves performance, which is important if we are talking about an aerobic music style, such as Rock or Pop music. The perfomances of Britney Spears or N’Sync border on the athletic. It must be tempting to use a perfomance-enhancing drug to keep one’s energy up for the tour.
Again, this is all a speculation. I need to conduct some serious research before addressing this topic further. Hopefully, after a little investigation, my theories on musicians and anabolic steroid use will be the subject of another paper.
‘till Death do us part
From the dawn of time, civilization has enjoyed the benefits and pitfalls that both music and drugs have to offer. In fact, these two have enjoyed a long relationship that predates recorded history. Jean Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear series paints a picture of a prehistoric tribe that incorporates music and mind-altering substances into their religious ceremonies. While these stories are fiction, there is some validity to the concept of religious observances in the manner described. Many drugs and substances used and abused today are based on plants and concoctions from our past. One reason to grow grain in primitive agricultural civilizations was to make beer. Certain leaves and plants that are manufactured into drugs today were originally chewed, steeped in water, mashed and made into a salve, or smoked. The effects these substances produced were not as intense or refined as they are today, but they worked just the same.
Drugs in their most natural form were also used for medicinal puposes. Roots and plants that were used as analgesics or pain relievers could also be used for their pleasurable attributes exclusively, especially by the unscrupulous. I have no doubt that from time to time, a tribesman may have gotten into the ritual stash, and overdosed. The tribe would have chalked it up to the gods, most likely.
In many cultures, shamans and magicians exceled in both medicine and entertainment. Over the years, these two skills began to separate. Curiously enough, I know a number of doctors who are musically gifted. There has always been a connection in my mind regarding music and medicine. I think they require the same insight. That could explain why so many musicians self-medicate themselves.
We can only speculate about the origins of musicianship in the past. It has been suggested that music fell into the realm of magic. This could mean that the tribe’s shaman, witch-doctor, or medicine woman would also be the seat of art and entertainment. The spiritual leader was responsible for recording the tribe’s history. Before writing, information was passed on orally through storytelling. A griotiiii would add “special effects” to their storytelling: pictures, music, drama, costumes were a part of that.
The relationship between music and drugs depends on two things: the availability of the drug and the sophistication of the music. Many substances used today as narcotics were initially available in tropical rain forests, which lie south of the equator. That left alcohol, developed through a simple fermentation process, the main drug of the North. Certain drugs only became available after Europeans began to explore the world in the fifteenth century. These explorations introduced a variety of substances unknown to the Western world – marijuana, tobacco, opium, and cocaine. Before 1500, Europeans mostly used beer and alcohol as a drug. Any of the homeopathic remedies invented in previous ages were largely ignored or forgotten during the Middle Ages. The only holdover was alcohol, since it was easy to produce and widely available throughout Europe. After all, all you need to create alcohol is sugar and yeast. Thus, alcoholic beverages varied from place to place depending on what was available. The North only offered hardy crops, such as the potato (Vodka), while more temperate regions, like Bordeaux in France, supported grapes for the production of wines and champagnes.
Some reports suggest that drugs that are used today were also used in ancient times. Magazines like High Times support theories of active drug use by proto-cultures and religious figures, such as the Buddha and Jesus Christ. However, these opinions are biased in favor of drug use, and often disregard the side effect and negative connotations associated with drug use at any level. Use of drugs in the more temperate regions, like below the equator is more likely, because it is easier to grow the necessary plants in areas where you can get sufficient water and sunlight. In the Northern regions, pharmaceutical knowledge would be limited to the local herbalist aka witch, probably burned at the stake or stoned to death before the actual burning of incense or offering the chance to get stoned.
As civilization continued to develop, so did religion. What began as unidentifable spirits who only talked to the specialists or mystics of the tribe, evolved into identified, powerful gods who talked to the specialists or priests and oracles of the citystate. The polytheistic religions of the ancient world were based on phenomena that came out of human experience: weather, animals, the lunar cycle, disease and death. Music and drugs were a big part of this life, as appeasing these gods became a priority.
A small tribe in the middleeast, the Israelites, developed a monotheistic religion that was eventually adopted throughout the world in three incarnations: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The popularity of this new type of religion brought with it a removal of nature worship in religious observances. This included the exclusion of mind-altering substances from religious life. Bummer.
I would have to say that music in the Middle Ages is a little antiseptic because of the lack of drug use. Speculation? Most certainly. But what drug would be available to your average monk composer? When does music begin a dramatic creative surge? During the 1800’s, after centuries of world exploration and the introduction of spices and other cultural innovations.
The nineteenth century brought about the refinement of hashish, opium and absinthe. These drugs were popular during the Romantic period, particularly among the art community. Demand for these drugs stimulated the opium trade, which eventually led these drugs to the new world.
The new world offered the old world marijuana and tobacco, as well as rum from the sugar cane plantations in the Carribean.
Modern drugs developed in the twentieth century have been refined and enhanced to provide the most narcotizing effect for its user. Opium was converted into morphine, and later heroin. Cocaine was turned into crack. Even alcohol is changed, with potent malt liquors and flavored beers available in your local grocery.
The twentieth century moved at a pace that quickly overshadowed all the achievements and accomplishments of the previous two millennia. Jazz, Rock and Roll and Hip Hop are indicative of modern human development, drugs and all. This a century that has seen an unprecedented expansion of technological advancement, based on discoveries in science, mathematics, medicine and psychology. Quality of life, at least in the Western world, has skyrocketed both in duration and healthiness, while information is desseminated very fast throughout the world via Radio, Television and the Internet. And yet, our great discoveries have led to gross atrocities. The Twentieth Century has seen the most war, the most death (in horrible ways) than in all the previous years dating back to the dawn of civilization.
A musician’s attitude regarding drug use
The irony is this: as we find ways to live longer, we spend ways trying to die earlier. This is evidenced by the manner in which musicians die. Certainly, there are many musicians who die in bed at an old age. However, there are also a lot of musicians who have died in very interesting ways due to drug use. In fact, the very act of using any drug increases the chances of someone dying prematurely. Since drugs affect the senses, since drugs impair judgement, the decisions that drug users make are less likely to be smart or healthy ones. A heroin addict runs the risk of acquiring bloodbourne diseases such as HIV and Hepatitus B, due to the use of shared needles. A true addict probably won’t be very scrutinizing. Pot smokers and heavy drinkers may want to avoid operating heavy machinery, like automobiles while under the influence, since reaction time and judgement is affected. Drug use weakens the immune system, making it easier for the body to acquire some of the more interesting ailments, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Evidence suggests that many musicians have an apathetic attitude regarding the dangers of their drug use to their health, their image, and their productivity. In fact, many musicians attribute drug use to their lifestyle; as Rock and Rollers believe they have the right to party. You would think that the musicians of today would learn some sort of lesson from the musicians of the past, but not so. Although behavior and attitude of acceptable drug use has changed over the years, mainly because of social trends and preference, its use and popularity have remained a constant.
During the 1950's, television helped to glamorize cigarette smoking. The variety show format featured popular artists singing standards, with many performers puffing away, even during their numbers. Sometimes, the drinking of alcoholic beverages was shown on these programs, and since many entertainers also performed in bars, drinking was considered perfectly acceptable. It was the artist’s responsibility to “hold their liquor.” It is suggested in the motion picture Lady Sings the Blues that Billie Holiday would shoot heroin during her performances, excusing herself in the middle of a set to return high after another musician’s solo. Dean Martin was probably drunk during his performances; Lena Horne didn’t look too sober either.
It is surprising to find that many musicians still abuse drugs that have conclusively been proven to be life-threatening and cancer causing. The number of singers and musicians who smoke is shocking. You would think that after Nat King Cole’s death from lung disease would convince following generations to avoid cigarettes. From talking to smokers, it is difficult to understand the draw of the cigarette unless you are a smoker, but we do know that nicotine alleviates anxiety, especially that first cigarette in the morning. Heavy smokers often have a husky voice. Maybe not the best thing for a singer, but that sort of logic is rarely an argument for kicking the habit.
A friend of mine once told me that drinking alcohol during a studio session helps to loosen him up during the creative process. I’ve heard pot smokers attest to this as well. Saxophone players became heroin addicts because they believed the drug could make them play like Charlie Parker. It is these types of misconceptions that lead to criminal activity, bad behavior and health problems than anything else in the musical experience.
Scan the newspapers and you’ll see your favorite personalities arrested for drug possession, driving while under the influence, and physical crimes like assault. In January 1980, Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones was busted with 260 grams of cocaine. Bobby Brown is in and out jail due to DWI’s, while his wife, Whitney Houston, was busted in Hawaii for cocaine possession in 2000. Johnny Cash’s addiction in the early 1960's compelled him to leave his wife and kids for the New York drug scene. HipHop has earned a reputation for a direct connection with drug trafficking and abuse. This would explain the inordinate amount of arrests witin the HipHop community for drug-related offenses.
If there is no problem with drug use within the music industry, then why the arrests? Why the deaths? Why the endless stereotypes? As politically incorrect as it seems, there is some validity to stereotypes. In autobiographies, many music celebrities openly admit to drug use and abuse. Popular artists are arrested for drug possession almost on a daily basis. Rumors abound; even the squeaky clean, John Denver or Britney Spears, for example, are linked to inordinate drug use. But what happens when these rumors become reality, and the artists involved build on their already altered image? The next chapter deals the unfortunate consequences of drug overuse to the extreme.
The Poster Children
Ozzy Osbourne
Keith Richards
Charlie Parker
Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston
Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong
Snoop Dogg
Mary J. Blige
Chaka Khan
Elvis Presley
Natalie Cole
Rick James
Buddy Bolden
Jonathan Melvoin
Glenn Gould
Scott Weiland
Anthony Keidis
Kurt Cobain
Jimi Hendrix
Janis Joplin
Keith Moon
Jim Morrison
Miles Davis
Billie Holiday
Bud Powell
Tommy Lee
John Denver
Sid Vicious
Judy Garland
Dorothy Dandridge
Ian McLagan
John Lennon
Paul MacCartney
George Harrison
Ringo Starr
