Everyone wants to be rich and famous, but money doesn’t always buy happiness. Or so it seems, when we look at the troubled lives of these celebrities! If nothing else, this list might make you feel a bit better about your regular life!
The Man in Black, as renowned for his legendary music as he was for his drug and alcohol addictions, clearly struggled with demons throughout his life. In his autobiography, he admits to attempting suicide in a unique way. According to his account, he went down into the now famous (because of this incident) Nickajack Cave, in Tennessee, with the intention of letting himself die. Luckily, he claims he felt God’s life-giving breath, which convinced him to come out of the darkness. Whether it was a hallucination or a spiritual experience, Cash finally kicked his drug habit and turned to religion.
The Piano Man has always had a great sense of humour, despite the obstacles he’s had to overcome. The proof? In his biography, it says that, as a depressed musician in his 20s, he tried to commit suicide by swallowing fistfuls of Nembutal, washed down with furniture polish! When he awoke, he thought: “Oh great, I couldn’t even do this right!”
The Dog Whisperer revealed in 2012 that after the death of his pit bull and his divorce, he wanted to end it all. The man who seemed to always have a smile on his face was clearly suffering from serious depression during this tough time. He’s since put it all behind him, focusing instead on exercise and his work, that is, talking with troubled pooches.
The Man in Black, as renowned for his legendary music as he was for his drug and alcohol addictions, clearly struggled with demons throughout his life. In his autobiography, he admits to attempting suicide in a unique way. According to his account, he went down into the now famous (because of this incident) Nickajack Cave, in Tennessee, with the intention of letting himself die. Luckily, he claims he felt God’s life-giving breath, which convinced him to come out of the darkness. Whether it was a hallucination or a spiritual experience, Cash finally kicked his drug habit and turned to religion.
In 2004, it seemed like the People’s Princess had returned from the grave, with NBC uncovering tapes of her confiding in her psychologist. We learned that, in addition to suffering from bulimia, Lady Diana, who died in 1997, also struggled with stress caused by her husband Prince Charles, which led her to despair. Pregnant, she dramatically threw herself down a flight of stairs. Queen Elizabeth was horrified, but Charles just went off to ride horses—which says a lot about the couple’s relationship at the time.
In 2007, the Oscar-winning actress revealed that she’d tried to end it all by carbon monoxide poisoning after her first marriage to David Justice ended. “I was sitting in my car, and I knew the gas was coming, when I had an image of my mother finding me,” Berry told Parade magazine. Luckily, she got back on her feet, because this failed love affair certainly wasn’t her last!
It was his brother Luke who found Wilson at his home in Santa Monica, where he’d slit his wrists in an attempt to commit suicide. Rumour has it that he couldn’t get over his breakup with actress Kate Hudson. Some critics believe that he just couldn’t handle the pressure or that he had a drug problem, but the actor has remained tight-lipped on the subject.
It’s a well-known fact that this child star grew up in an adult world. Shehad her first drink at age 9, started smoking marijuana at 10, and moved on to cocaine at 13. She went to rehab only to relapse immediately afterward. She then tried to commit suicide by slitting her wrists, but was saved in time. She spent another three months in rehab and went on to finally kick her habit.
Back when the singer was still trying to pass as a heterosexual, he was engaged to Linda Woodrow. The day before the wedding, his roommate and song-writing partner, Bernie Taupin, came out of his room and smelled gas. He went into the kitchen and found Elton with his head in the stove. “My immediate thing should have been oh, my God, he’s tried to kill himself. But I started laughing because he’d got the gas oven open, he was lying on a pillow and he’d opened all the windows.” Luckily, the attempt was more funny than tragic! For the record, the singer never married Woodrow and later went on to record the song “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” based on the incident.
The cult singer with legendary legs went through some very tough times with her abusive husband, Ike. Fans can read in her autobiography that she’d reached the brink in 1968 when she took more than 50 Valium tablets after yet another fight with her husband. She survived and filed for divorce eight years later. Some learn faster than others!
Often considered the most beautiful woman in the world, the great actress still had her fair share of trouble: alcohol and drug addictions, extramarital affairs—Taylor’s life was full of all the classic clichés. After her true love, Richard Burton, left her, she wanted to go to sleep forever and took an overdose of sleeping pills. She survived and married Burton—twice. Ladies, take note—this might not be the best way to get what you want.
When you’re a 60s sex symbol and scandal follows you around, you should expect to have some strange experiences. Known by those close to her for dicing with death on a daily basis, Bardot tried to commit suicide numerous times. One time, when she’d slashed her wrists, her fans ransacked her villa to steal the bloodstained curtains, sheets, and even bathroom tiles. A pretty strange way to show sympathy!
The Queen of Disco passed away in 2012, leaving behind a trove of hit songs and her sex symbol image. But life wasn’t always rosy for the singer. In 2003, she was ready to end it all, and tried to leap from a window. At that very moment, a housekeeper entered her hotel room and Donna changed her mind. She later sought help from her doctor to treat her depression.
The drama of reality TV never ends! Winner of the third season of American Idol, the singer never quite made it big and was having an affair with a married man who swore he was separated from his wife. Can you guess the rest? Of course, he was still with his wife, who later filed for divorce. The couple’s sinful bliss was short-lived. They soon began fighting to the point that Fantasia overdosed on aspirin and sleeping pills. She survived and has since tried to get back on her feet after this tumultuous relationship.
Unhappiness knows no age. The young Paris Jackson, daughter of the late singer Michael Jackson, tried to kill herself several times. Known for self-harming, the young woman was hospitalized at age 15, after taking 20 Motrin and then slashing her wrists with a kitchen knife. She refused therapy, but chose instead to hole up at a boarding school. She’s doing much better now, no longer self-harming, and trying to reconnect with her family, which is known for being rather unique. We wish her luck!
In the era of technology, the Irish singer took to her Twitter account to plead for help in 2012, after taking an overdose of pills just days earlier. “I’m really unwell . . . and in danger”, she tweeted, asking fans to help her find a psychiatrist in Dublin. Practical, yes, but a bit too public!