Hope Davis
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Unfortunately, drugs are not an uncommon thing in the music industry. Many singers have been open and honest about their nearly fatal experiences, while others were found unresponsive and never recovered.
If you want to learn more about singers who overdosed, read on. Although some survived their fight with addiction, many singers succumbed to their experience. Their legacy lives on today.
1. Prince
First on our list of singers who overdosed is Prince, who was very anti-drug during his early years. In the 80s, he experimented with ecstasy and hallucinogens, then became addicted to painkillers in the form of opioids and ultimately passed away after overdosing on fentanyl at age 57.
Related: How Did Prince Die?
2. Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett was a sweet man in his final days, but in his younger years, he overdosed on cocaine after losing a contract with Colombia. His second wife found and saved him, and his son helped him escape his addiction.
3. Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato overdosed on heroin in 2018, forcing her team to rush her to the hospital. She survived the incident and continues to be open with her fans about her addiction as she pushes her career forward.
4. Eminem
Once upon a time, Eminem was severely addicted to painkillers, and they almost killed him. He was treated and survived and now works with Elton John to remain sober.
Related: 45 Facts About Eminem
5. Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday is one of the most influential jazz singers of all time, but she unfortunately used drugs and alcohol to deal with the pain from her past of abuse. Her first husband got her addicted to opium, which led to her addiction to heroin, which eventually ended up in her untimely death after being diagnosed with advanced liver cancer and drug complications.
Related: 21 Best Jazz Songs
6. Tom Petty
Next on our list of singers who overdosed is the iconic Tom Petty, one of the best singers of our era. He was in extreme pain in the later years of his life, thanks to various issues, leading to a painkiller addiction and his eventual overdose on a cocktail of prescribed medications from his doctor.
7. Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne famously almost overdosed on a variety of drugs in 2013. He’s since pulled himself back together and is still alive and going strong today.
Related: 14 Best Rappers
8. Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse was a powerhouse of a singer with an unfortunate addiction to alcohol that began long before her sudden rise to fame. She abused alcohol, crack, cocaine, and more to handle her mental health struggles, leading to an early demise at 27 after she overdosed on alcohol in 2011.
9. Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley is another tragic hero who passed from a drug overdose too soon, leaving behind an astounding legacy that is still remembered today. The King had fourteen drugs in his body, including Demerol, morphine, tranquilizers, painkillers, sleeping pills, valium, codeine, Quaaludes, and more.
Related: How Did Elvis Die?
10. Mac Miller
Mac Miller was well-known for his professional career as a musician and his time dating singer Ariana Grande. He had a history of drug abuse to deal with his various mental health struggles, ultimately leading to an overdose of cocaine and fentanyl and his death at 26 in 2018.
11. Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin passed away at 27 from an overdose of heroin addiction, making her part of the unfortunate “27 Club” of celebrities who passed away at the young age of 27. She had struggled with addiction to heroin throughout her life and tried to get clean several times, but she never did before the tragic end of her life.
Related: Best 60s Songs
12. Steven Tyler
Next on our list of singers who overdosed is Steven Tyler, who lives a clean life after his overdose. He abused heroin in his band’s early years, almost dying before the manager forced him into rehab.
13. Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson tragically overdosed on drugs prescribed to him by a doctor rather than something he had obtained illegally. In 2009, he passed away after going into cardiac arrest following an overdose of propofol, a powerful pain medication Jackson got after his many surgeries.
Related: How Did Michael Jackson Die?
14. Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston lived a tragic life, using substance abuse to deal with her sudden fame, sexual abuse, and various forms of enablement from those around her. At 48, she was found unconscious and facedown in a bathtub with a cocktail of marijuana, Flexeril, Xanax, Benadryl, and cocaine in her system.
Related: How Did Whitney Houston Die?
15. ODB of Wu-Tang Clan
ODB from Wu-Tang Clan struggled with drug abuse and mental health issues throughout his life, even as his fame grew. Unfortunately, he could never become sober and was found dead in 2004 after overdosing on a lethal combination of Tramadol, a prescription drug, and cocaine.
16. Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix was a drug abuser throughout his life, openly abusing LSD even as he suffered in his health thanks to lack of sleep and influenza-related sickness. He took amphetamines at a party one evening, then took eighteen times the recommended dose of sleeping pills to come down, passing away from barbiturate-related asphyxia at 27.
Related: How Did Jimi Hendrix Die?
17. DMX
Next on our list of singers who overdosed is DMX, a man who paved the way for the rap world and was very open about his drug addiction throughout his life. He revealed he wanted to get sober but unfortunately suffered a heart attack from an overdose of fentanyl, crack, alcohol, and prescription drugs. He also had COVID-19.
18. Pink
When Pink was growing up, she was much more experimental than she is now. As a teenager, she almost overdosed on a cocktail of meth, acid, and ecstasy.
19. Judy Garland
Judy Garland lived a tragic life, and it came to a devastating end when she was found on the floor of her bathroom in 1969 at the age of 47. She had dealt with alcohol and drug addiction for years before her death, and the ultimate cause was revealed to be an overdose of barbiturates.
20. Dee Dee Ramone
Next on our list of singers who overdosed is Dee Dee Ramone, who struggled with on-and-off mental health issues and drug addiction throughout a good chunk of his life. Ramone was found unresponsive in Los Angeles in 2002 as a result of an overdose of heroin.
21. Juice WRLD
In 2021, federal agents boarded Juice WRLD’s private plane to investigate for drugs, during which the singer went into serious convulsions. He passed away, even after several attempts to revive him, as a result of swallowing several pills of Percocet, oxycodone, and codeine.
Related: How Did Juice WRLD Die?
22. Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain was the lead singer for Nirvana and often used drugs and alcohol to remove the pain from his bipolar disorder and issues with his digestion. He survived several heroin overdoses but eventually took his own life with heroin and valium in his system and a self-inflicted gun wound at 27 years old.
23. Bon Scott
Next on our list of singers who overdosed is Bon Scott, the lead singer for AC/DC for six years until he passed away from asphyxiation after a long night of drinking. Even for someone in the rock world, Scott was known to drink rather excessively.
24. Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison lived for a long time with alcohol and substance abuse as a way to cope with many tragic events that had happened in his life. He was found dead in 1971 as a result of a heroin overdose, which many think he assumed was cocaine.
25. Chris Cornell
Chris Cornell was the frontman of the band Soundgarden when he took too much of his prescribed anxiety medications for the purpose of ending his life. Chris had been outspoken about his struggles with depression over the years, but even seeking help was not enough to keep him from being one of many singers who overdosed.
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