Famous Junkies!

Heroin and other opioids have been used by a very large number of famous people. Here is a on-going project to provide short biographies of heroin celebrities

John Belushi Belushi was a heavy cocaine user through most of his adult life. Right at the end of his life, he began using heroin. His death is widely attributed to a speedball overdose but it was likely a cocaine overdose. David Bowie A heavy cocaine and occasional heroin user. William S. BurroughsBurroughs was the father of the "beat" movement with books like Junkie and The Naked Lunch. Kurt CobainKurt Cobain is a tragic figure in the heroin subculture. Most people think that drugs killed him, but in the end it seems more likely that he was killed by the intolerance of those around him who could not come to terms with his drug use. Miles DavisMiles Davis was one of the inventors of cool jazz. Thomas De Quincy The writer of Confessions of an English Opium Eater was an opium addict for almost fifty years--the William S. Burroughs of his day! Robert Downey, Jr.The most oppressed man in America? Ben Franklin This founding father was known to occasionally use opium recreationally. Jerry Garcia Although the Grateful Dead are strongly associated with psychedelics--especially LSD--Garcia used heroin on and off throughout most of his adult life. His death is often attributed to "heroin overdose" like the death the just about any famous heroin user. Garcia was a chain-smoker who was also quite over-weight and in poor overall health. This is undoubtably the primary reason for his death: general system failure. The official causes was heart failure which he experienced at a rehab clinic. Boy GeorgeHe wasn't a junkie for long, but he has some good stories about being an addict. Herman Goering Goering became a morphine addict in WWI because of an injury. He stayed addicted to morphine for the rest of his life. In WWI, he was an ace pilot with 22 confirmed "kills". Under Hitler, he was the commander of the Nazi air force (Luftwaffe). He was so liked by Hitler, that Hitler named him his successor; various failures during WWII, however, caused him to fall out of favor with the Nazi leader who used him publicly as a scapegoat for war troubles. Goering is most remembered as the leader of the Luftwaffe, but he is an excellent example of how little a problem opioid addiction is, when the opioid is legal and readily available. Goering was found guilty of war crimes after WWII and sentenced to hang--he killed himself before the sentence could be carried out. Billie HolidayBillie Holiday was one of the greatest singers of this century. But like many great artists the US government treated her very poorly. LoveLove was the psychedelic version of the Velvet Underground. In it's original incarnation, it did not last long but still managed to produce two of the greatest rock albums ever. Bela Lugosi"Dracula" spent a decade plus addicted to morphine and methadone. Charlie ParkerProbably the greatest sax player of all time, Parker was also a life-long heroin addict. Edgar Allan Poe Since Poe died before heroin was invented, he clearly never used heroin. It is well-documented, however, that he used opium with some regularity. Elvis PresleyYou doubt us? You doubt that the king of rock-n-roll was a junkie? We'll provide you with the facts--you can decide for yourself. Also check out the strange story of Elvis and Nixon. Keith Richards We'll get around to dealing with him soon enough. Tom Sizemore You may remember him as the sick cop who kills a prostitute in Natural Born Killers. The word is that he is now off smack. The story goes that Robert De Niro showed up on Tom's doorstep one morning with Tom's mom to confront him about his heroin use (I'm so touched my eyes are getting all watery). One telling has De Niro threatening to turn Sizemore into the police for "heroin use" which may be true even though heroin use is not illegal--De Niro wouldn't necessarily know this fine point of law. I wrote a short rant about how I would like to see him playing fewer cops. James TaylorThe prototypical "singer/songwriter" of the 1970s was an on again, off again heroin user.
Can you think of any others?
The Wiz

 

There are so many famous musicians that were junkies at some point. I'l just name a few. Eric Clapton, John Coltrane, Lou Reed, Keith Richards and Sid Vicious.

 

Don't forget about Allister Crowley.

 

Didn't John Lennon dabble in it for a short time?
Fictional character - Sherlock Holmes shot up cocaine.

 

hitler
jimi hendrix
aldus huxley
alexander shulgin

all were junkies

 

Anthony Bourdain, writer, chef, world traveler, travel show host. Spent about a decade on H. Then a long time on Methadone. He says he's off the Methadone, but I am not so sure.

 

Great adds Thanks!

 

Jimmy Page

Sid Vicious
Janis Joplin
Iggy Pop
Nico
Eddie Sedgwick

 

How could you forget Ray Charles, Brad Nowell, and Layne Staley? And of course a few other grunge singers, Chris Cornell-- of Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, STP, and Eddie Vedder-- of Pearl Jam, and Gavin Rossdale-- of Bush.

 

slash, john frusciante, steven tyler, anthony kiedis, joe perry...

 

johnny cash? right?

 

Wasn't Jack Keroauc the father of the "beats"?

 

will slf(only slightly famous jouro/writer, famously admitted to having a dig in an aeroplane crapper on a flight with john major aboard.....

 

He was more... amphetamine... I always thought.

I forgot about Anthony Bourdain. I love his show.

 

Yup your right Bro-Huge speed freak old Johnny was.

 

Nope-Jack was not even born yet.

 

chris cornell wasnt a complete junkie

http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/cornell%20recalls%20bad%20angel%20dust%20experience_1006053

 

Shannon Hoon from Blind Melon, Anthony Kiedis, and fuckin all of Motley Crue; Nikki Sixx's heart stopped but they brought him back...

 

Oh yeah, and Axl Rose, "We've been dancin with Mr. Brownstone"...

 

Busted for the assisted overdose of Nancy Spungen, NYC.