10 Musicians Who Surprisingly Didn't Die From Drugs

10 Musicians Who Surprisingly Didn’t Die From Drugs

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down 10 Musicians Who Surprisingly Didn’t Die From Drugs.

For this list, we’ll be looking at artists who struggled with a heavy dependency on illegal substances.

Did we forget a performer that grappled with addictive behaviors? Let us know in the comments below.

Slash

Slash rocked his way into the late 1980s as the lead guitarist for Guns N’ Roses. While his shredding was contributing to the band’s domination, he was also struggling with addictive habits. The guitarist dabbled in a variety of substances during the heyday of his music career. During an interview, Slash recounted a time where he was pronounced clinically dead during a particularly bad binge. All of his days of partying led to him being diagnosed with cardiomyopathy in 2001. The sometimes-fatal condition motivated the musician to become healthier and eventually get sober years later.

Corey Taylor

While Corey Taylor is known today for fronting the bands Slipknot and Stone Sour, he almost never made it to stardom in the first place. Before he reached adulthood, he was using substances frequently. Taylor had multiple overdoses at a young age. In one of his worst incidents, he was reportedly tossed into a dumpster after his friends thought he died. After Taylor survived that close call, his career took off. He started heavily relying on alcohol until he heard about a bandmate who may have died from an overdose. Since 2010, Taylor has made a conscious effort to stay sober.

Eminem

During the time he was on top of the world as a hugely successful hip-hop artist, Eminem worked through his own addictions behind the scenes. He found himself trapped in a bad cycle in the early 2000s. Additionally, the death of his friend Proof affected him so much that he sank further into the habit. In 2007, Eminem had a near fatal overdose that made it clear to him that something needed to change. After going to rehab and working on his health, the rapper released music in 2009. His album “Relapse” took a look at the effect drugs had on his life. The emcee wasn’t afraid to explore both the darkest moments of his fame and his eventual recovery through song.

John Frusciante

Guitarist John Frusciante joined Red Hot Chili Peppers after the member Hillel Slovak died from an overdose. While the young prodigy quickly proved himself as a musician, he also participated in the drug scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Things got worse for him in the years after he left the band. In one scary occasion, Frusiciante began using drugs shortly after a severe overdose that required a blood transfusion to recover from. He eventually reached a point where he decided that the best path forward for him was rehab. Fortunately, Red Hot Chili Peppers bandmate Flea advocated for Frusciante to return to the group. His reunion with them helped kick off a new phase of his life away from substance use.

Steven Tyler

The lead singer of Aerosmith maintained his fair share of problems with drinking and drugs. He even went so far as to claim that he’s spent millions of dollars on just one type of substance alone. During the band’s first period of success in the 1970s, his drug habits almost brought the band to a grinding halt. His bandmates even pushed for an intervention to curtail Tyler's habits. Although he did take their advice, he still had troubles staying sober throughout the decades. At the same time, Tyler struggled with foot pain and a hepatitis C diagnosis. The musician also dealt with a relapse in 2022. While Tyler’s journey hasn’t been easy, the prolific vocalist keeps pushing for a healthier lifestyle.

Ozzy Osbourne

Throughout Ozzy Osbourne’s musical career, he had substantial issues with drugs. His constant substance use was one of the main reasons that he was let go from his Sabbath gig. After that setback drove him to develop even unhealthier habits, he kicked off a solo career. But striking out on his own still didn’t help him automatically kick his habits. The constant attention from the cameras on his family reality show “The Osbournes” also caused him to use more substances. In 2006, Osbourne started to commit to sobriety. Although he had a few relapses since that time, he worked with his family to get and stay clean once more.

Stevie Nicks

During her time in “Fleetwood Mac,” Stevie Nicks dealt with addiction and a turbulent relationship with her bandmates. While she was able to kick the habit of using one substance in the 1980s, she fell into another. The drug Klonopin started as a way for her to kick one drug. However, Nicks became too reliant on the thing that was supposed to be helping her cope with addictive behavior. She spent nearly a decade struggling to get away from Klonopin. After a lengthy detox, Nicks returned to music once more. While it took a while for her to start feeling confident in her work, she came out the other end of the 1990s as an enthusiastic and lauded performer.

Elton John

Elton John might be the most famous singer-songwriter to come out of the late 1960s and early 1970s. He also has dealt with his fair share of drug and alcohol abuse in his life. Throughout the 70s, he took in numerous substances. And in 1975, the musician purposely overdosed in an attempt to end his life. Medical professionals were able to save him in time and start him on a road to recovery. After years of struggling, John got sober in 1990. He soon had a professional renaissance in the following decade that included work on "The Lion King." Following that huge career boost, he then focused his efforts on charitable causes and furthering his legacy.

Nikki Sixx

Along with his band Mötley Crüe, Nikki Six became notorious for his partying in the heavy metal era. He is as famous for being a bassist as he is for his misadventures with drugs. Six’s most infamous episode came when an overdose rendered him legally dead until he was revived minutes later. That incident happened to be part of a relatively long list of overdoses. Years after he hit a low, he recounted his struggles within an autobiography called “The Heroin Diaries.” The musician luckily sought treatment and managed to survive one of the deadliest stories in rock history.

Keith Richards

Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones has a reputation for his long history of substance use. In fact, many people have expressed amazement that he’s survived so many encounters with drugs. The musician was also arrested for possession numerous times throughout the years. Although Richards avoided significant jail time, he had to go to a treatment program after an arrest in Canada. At one point, he was accidentally poisoned by a pesticide while taking another drug. He even snorted his father’s ashes after mixing them with another substance. While Richards has significantly cut back his use in recent years, doctors and the musician himself are still amazed at his tolerance.