He was never able to gain long-term sobriety successfully. In 2004, he died of an accidental drug overdose due to a lethal mix of cocaine and the prescription drug Tramadol. Bon Scott is known as AC/DC’s original lead singer and lyricist. He was also known to have been a heavy drinker, even by Rockstar standards.
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It would’ve been interesting to see Morrison adapt and evolve from his ’60s poet prince acid rock phase. In 1971, at age 27, he was living in Paris with his girlfriend, Pamela Courson, who found him dead in their bathtub. No autopsy was performed, but the official cause of death was declared heart failure, per Rolling Stone. Elvis Presley left an indelible legacy on pop culture, changing music history with his blend of rockabilly, rhythm and blues and country.
Country Stars Who’ve Overdosed on Drugs + Alcohol
Houston was found unconscious, face down in a bathtub at age 48. Her autopsy revealed she had the muscle relaxant Flexeril, marijuana, Benadryl, Xanax, and cocaine in her system, which led to her drowning. Winehouse was known to consume and abuse hard substances such as heroin, cocaine, and ketamine, and other drugs, throughout her music career. However, the autopsy done shortly after her death revealed that the vocalist had indeed died of alcohol poisoning. He had gone to sleep in his car after a night of heavy drinking and suffered from acute alcohol poisoning.Unfortunately, there are many celebrities who ultimately succumbed to their drinking problem. Click through this gallery to see which stars sadly died as a result of alcohol abuse.
Country Singers’ Most Shocking + Tragic Deaths
His actual death was sudden, but his health had been declining for many years due to alcoholism. John Bonham was an English musician best known for the being the drummer of Led Zeppelin. And Barrett, R. Alice Cooper tells about his fight with alcoholism. Of committing himself to care at a time when he was consuming two quarts of whiskey a day.
John Bonham is also on the long list of famous musicians who drank themselves to death. According to those who knew Bonham, he often missed his home life while on tour with his band, Led Zeppelin, and often turned to drinking to drown out his sadness. On September 24th, 1980, Led Zeppelin started rehearsals for their North American tour. Bonham stopped for breakfast on the way there, where he drank four quadruple screwdrivers (vodka with orange juice). He continued to drink throughout rehearsals and after 12-hours of drinking, was put to sleep on his side by his assistant. Bonham was found unconscious the next morning, and after an attempt to wake up, they realized he had passed in his sleep from inhalation of vomit.
Whitley would drink nail polish and perfume to try and get drunk without her knowing. In the 1960s, Morrison and his band released canonical Alcoholics Anonymous rock songs like “Light My Fire” and “L.A. Woman.” But like Hendrix, Morrison died at 27 years old, passing away in Paris, France, under some still-mysterious circumstances.
- Read on to see which country stars have overdosed on drugs and alcohol.
- He died in a nursing home because his alcoholism left him unable to care for himself.
- In 2004, he accidentally overdosed on cocaine and tramadol.
- Sterling Whitaker is a Senior Writer and Senior Editor for Taste of Country.
- Despite his promising career, Phoenix struggled with substance abuse throughout his life.
- Best known as the lead vocalist of The Doors, Jim Morrison died of a heroin overdose in 1971.
On September 18, 1970, Hendrix passed away due to barbiturate-related asphyxia from his vomit at age 27. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled Tom Petty’s death was caused by an accidental overdose due to mixed drug toxicity. Petty had been prescribed various drugs to treat knee issues, emphysema, and a fractured hip. He continued to tour through the pain of a broken hip, which made it worse and caused a full-on break. His family felt that, most likely, his pain was unbearable and caused the prescription drug addiction, which led to his accidental overdose.
Jimi Hendrix (Died in
- He died from a combined drug and alcohol overdose at the age of 33.
- Many of Elvis’s friends acknowledged his drug addiction, and the results of several autopsies performed on the musician are undeniable.
As the story goes, Reed, who was renowned for being a heavy drinker but who had apparently singers who died from alcohol been off booze for months prior, got involved in a drinking match that ultimately killed him. The ‘Sullivan’s Travels’ (1941) actress died in 1973 at the age of 50. The cause of her death was acute hepatitis and acute kidney injury. Mickey Mantle was a baseball legend who is widely regarded as the greatest switch hitter in history.