No one is immune to drug addiction and its consequences even if they are celebrities. But celebrities have the same anatomy as everyone else. The percentage of celebrities who suffer from addiction is likely similar to that of the general public. In fact, more people in the restaurant and hospitality industry suffer from addiction than in the arts and entertainment industry. You may never know if a co-worker is suffering from or has recovered from addiction. Today we came up with a list of 10 such celebrity drug abuse cases, which ultimately lead to their death.
10 –Marilyn Monroe
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The legendary sex symbol and film star died of an overdose of barbiturates in 1962. Monroe, 36, had attempted suicide four times before. She had an erratic personal life filled with highs and lows: Monroe was married and divorced three times, including to baseball star Joe DiMaggio and playwright Arthur Miller; she abused drugs, including sleeping pills and alcohol.
9 – Jimi Hendrix
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James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix was an American rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter. The famed electric guitarist died after overdosing on sleeping pills in 1970. Just 27 years old, Hendrix was at the height of his musical career, having headlined the 1969 Woodstock music festival. He was also a heavy drug user, especially of the psychedelic drug LSD.
8 –Jim Morrison
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James Douglas Morrison was an American singer, songwriter and poet, who served as the lead vocalist of the rock band the Doors. The Doors frontman who rocked the musical world in the 1960s with his leather pants and sexy swagger became yet another member of the infamous “27 Club” when he died in 1971. Although no autopsy was performed, Morrison is thought to have died of a heroin overdose.
7 –Judy Garland
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Judy Garland was an American actress, singer, dancer, and vaudevillian. She died at age 47, in 1969, of an overdose of barbiturates. Throughout her life, she had a rocky relationship with fame, and the Wizard of Oz star, known for her lively performances, became hooked on stimulants and depressants when she was a young Hollywood starlet. “They’d give us pep pills. Then they’d take us to the studio hospital and knock us cold with sleeping pills… after four hours they’d wake us up and give us the pep pills again,” Garland told McCall’s magazine. “That’s the way we worked, and that’s the way we got thin. That’s the way we got mixed up, And that’s the way we lost contact.”
6 –Janis Joplin
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Janis Joplin was dubbed the first queen of rock ‘n’ roll, and her voice is singular. She was rough around the edges, vulnerable and charismatic, and she paved the way for countless women in rock. The “Piece of My Heart” singer died after she overdosed on heroin at age 27 in a Los Angeles motel room, just 16 days after her friend Jimi Hendrix also overdosed.
5 –Michael Jackson
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Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, and dancer. Dubbed the “King of Pop”, he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century and one of the greatest entertainers. While preparing for a series of comeback concerts scheduled to begin in July 2009, Jackson died of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication after suffering cardiac arrest on June 25, 2009. His personal physician was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in his death and sentenced to four years in prison.
4 –Mac Miller
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Malcolm James McCormick, known professionally as Mac Miller, was an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. On September 7, 2018, Miller was found unresponsive in his Studio City home by his personal assistant, who called 911 and performed CPR until paramedics arrived. Miller was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:51 a.m. He suffered an accidental fatal overdose of fentanyl, cocaine and alcohol, according to a toxicology report released by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner on Monday. The cause of death was listed as “mixed drug toxicity”.
3 –Lil Peep
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Gustav Elijah Åhr, known professionally as Lil Peep, was an American rapper, singer, songwriter and model. He was known for helping pioneer an emo revival style of hip hop and rock music. Lil Peep was a frequent user of drugs due to his mental health issues. He died on November 15, 2017. The Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner certified the cause of death to be an accidental overdose of fentanyl and Xanax.
2 –Whitney Houston
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Whitney Elizabeth Houston was an American singer and actress. She was cited as the most-awarded female artist of all time by Guinness World Records and remains one of the best-selling music artists of all time with 200 million records sold worldwide. On February 11, 2012, Houston was found dead in the Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills, California. The coroner’s report showed that she had accidentally drowned in the bathtub, with heart disease and cocaine use as contributing factors.
1 –Elvis Presley
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Elvis Aaron Presley, was an American singer, musician, and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century. Presley died in 1977 at his Graceland home in Tennessee at the age of 42. Toxicologists noted at least eight different barbiturates and narcotics in his body at the time, according to People. Presley, who burst onto the music scene in the 1950s with his twangy voice and thrusting hips, had been a longtime abuser of prescription drugs.
