by Max Vernon
While not a complete list (which would be around one hundred pages long), I hope this is informative for EAP readers out there. I'm starting to wonder whether there are no musicians that exist in the realm of popular music that aren't addicted to some drug or another. That's rock and roll for you. Now, sit back and enjoy other people's pain.
A
Alice Cooper: Alcohol and other hardcore drugs.
Amy Winehouse: Alcohol, Crack/Cocaine, Heroin purportedly…is there anything she's not chemically addicted to?
Anita O'Day: Alcohol and Heroin.
B
Beach Boys (Brian Wilson): Cocaine mainly, also various psychotropic drugs which likely exacerbated his schizophrenia.
The Beatles: Although it is widely known all of the Beatles were experimenting with hallucinogens, Paul McCartney stated in a 2004 BBC interview that he "did cocaine regularly for about a year", admitted to trying heroin, and was famously arrested for trying to smuggle half a pound of marijuana through a Japanese airport.
Bessie Smith: Alcoholic.
Billie Holliday: Heroin addict and alcoholic.
Billy Idol: Heroin, Crack/Cocaine. Overdosed on GHB in 1994, at which point he admitted to his addiction to much harder drugs. Claimed to have first smoked pot at 12, and tried acid at 13.
Billy Joel: Has been in and out of rehab multiple times for alcohol abuse.
Bing Crosby: Alcohol.
Blind Mellon (Shannon Hoon): Lead singer of Blind Melon, died of a cocaine overdose.
Bobby Brown: Cocaine, marijuana.
Bob Dylan: While it is hard to find any firsthand accounts from Dylan regarding his drug addiction outside of the occasional marijuana/lsd use, I implore everyone to watch some videos of Bob Dylan performing at any concert in the past couple years. Can you understand a word he is saying? Dude is burnt out from something…
Boy George: Cocaine and Heroin.
Britney Spears: Let's all take a guess.
C
Charlie Parker: A heroin overdose claimed the life of this incredible saxophonist. Beginning to notice a pattern with these jazz musicians?
Chet Baker: Years of heroin, cocaine, alcohol, and pills might have played a role in Baker's suicide- jumping out of his window.
Courtney Love: pretty much shared her drugs and addictions with Kurt, see below.
D
David Bowie: Thin white duke? Yeah, cocaine.
Dick Van Dyke: Alcoholic.
E
Elvis Presley: Although the face of Nixon's war against illegal drugs, Elvis lead a double life, frequently abusing barbiturates, which contributed to his ultimately early death.
Elton John: Elton attributes the nodes on his vocal chords, which he had removed to his history of cocaine abuse and marijuana smoking.
Eminem: Is known to take half a tablet of E (ecstasy) before performing on stage to "loosen up". Has been in and out of rehab.
Eric Clapton: Was addicted to Heroin, but eventually beat the addiction.
Esther Phillips: Heroin addict, and on and off alcoholic.
Etta James: Heroin.
F
Fat Boy Slim: Ecstasy is the drug of choice for this famous dj.
G
Gil Scott-Heron: This famous jazz singer and hip-hop pioneer detailed his alcohol and heroin addictions in his songs "The Bottle" and "Home is Where the Hatred Is".
Grace Slick: Hallucinogens. She was in Jefferson Airplane…come on.
I
Ike Turner: Cocaine, Alcohol, Heroin.
Iggy Pop: Heroin.
J
Jackie Wilson: Alcoholic mainly, with various drugs, other addictions that are hard to find specifics about online.
Jaco Pastorius: Alcohol, various other drugs.
James Brown: Did he really just feel good, or was it the PCP?
James Taylor: Heroin.
Janis Joplin: Died of a heroin overdose. We can assume she did most everything else while she was alive.
Jennifer Holliday: Food.
Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead): Heroin.
Jimi Hendrix: Alcohol, various barbiturates lead to his death, which resulted from choking on his vomit. Also took crazy quantities of LSD…duh.
Jo Dee Messina: Alcoholic.
Joe Cocker: Heroin, Cocaine, lots of alcohol.
Johnny Cash: Pills, pills, pills. Go see Walk the Line.
Joni Mitchell: Does anyone smoke more cigarettes than this woman?
Judy Garland: addicted to pills in every color of the rainbow. Her death is disputed as having been a drug overdose.
K
Kurt Cobain: Heroin obviously, as well as numerous other pharmaceutical opiates.
L
Laura Nyro: She sure sang about cocaine and booze a lot.
Leif Garrett: Heroin.
Little Richard: A few drug addictions lead Richard back to the church, at which point he also "renounced" his homosexuality.
Liza Minelli: Has been in rehab many times for alcohol and substance abuse.
Lou Reed: Heroin.
M
Marianne Faithfull: Heroin.
Marvin Gaye: Cocaine and Heroin.
Meat Loaf: Cocaine.
Michael Jackson: Prescription Pills. Has been to rehab for his drug problems, but is pretty hush hush about it.
Miles Davis: Heroin.
N
Natalie Cole: Heroin and Crack Cocaine.
Nick Drake: Antidepressants, and sleeping pills. His overdose on sleeping pills is a subject of great controversy, with many believing it was a suicide.
Nico: Heroin.
O
Ozzy Osbourne: What drug wasn't he doing? Can you understand a word he says when he talks now?
P
Pete Doherty (of the Libertines): Crack, Heroin, god knows what else.
The Pretenders (James Honeyman-Scott): One of the founding members and lead guitarist of the pretenders, Honeyman-Scott died of a cocaine overdose.
The Pointer Sisters (June Pointer): Cocaine and Xanax.
R
Ray Charles: Heroin…anyone not see the movie, Ray?
Rick James: How did this man not deplete the world of its supply of cocaine?
Rickie Lee Jones: Cocaine and Heroin.
The Righteous Brothers (Bobby Hatfield): died of a heart attack in his sleep, toxicology reports showed that Hatfield had taken massive amounts of cocaine earlier that day.
The Rolling Stones: Brian Jones drowned, very likely due to alcohol and barbiturate abuse. Keith Richards and Mick Jagger are both very famous heroin abusers.
Rufus Wainwright: Crystal Meth.
S
Sarah Vaughn: Cocaine, Alcohol, Marijuana.
Sly Stone: Heroin, Cocaine.
Snoop Dog: This rapper is often referred to as "The Maharaja of marijuana" and for good reason. In addition to his chronic usage, Snoop Dog is also known for having quite a taste for gin and juice.
Stevie Nicks: See Rick James.
T
Tom Petty: Alcohol.
W
Whitney Houston: See Rick James, Stevie Nicks.
Wilson Pickett: Alcoholic.
Wynonna Judd: Went to rehab for food addiction, no joke.
The Who (John Entwistle, Keith Moon): John died of a cocaine overdose, while Moon overdosed on pills (and coincidentally died in the same room as Mama Cass had four years earlier). It's safe to assume everyone in The Who was probably on drugs at some point.