5 Rock bands/artists that faded away because of drug and/or alcohol abuse

Music lovers often romanticize the idea of alcohol and drug use regardless of the number of rock stars who have gotten themselves killed because of these substances in the past.

A study carried out by Ian Hamilton of the University of York, on the link between drugs and music, revealed how rock concerts are normally overflowing with all types of party drugs. In addition, a good number of hit songs talk about drug use, substance abuse and alcohol abuse. Not just that, there are a good number of super star athletes out there who indulge in such substances, including cannabis smoking. Hence, their usage becomes something normal for the younger generation to follow. Here in this short article, we will acquaint you with some well-known rock bands/artists that disappeared because of drug and alcohol abuse.

Jimi Hendrix

Like various other rock ‘n’ roll stars who were popular during their peak, Jimi Hendrix also faced several health issues because of substance abuse. The famed guitarist admitted to LSD, cocaine and marijuana usage in the 70s. This was the same year that Hendrix passed away because of barbiturate overdose.

Nirvana and Kurt Cobain

The Nirvana front man, Kurt Cobain was found lying in a pool of blood, having shot himself, in 1994. The post-mortem revealed that he was high on heroin and valium. Prior to his death, Kurt Cobain was battling a severe drug problem. In fact, he began heroin usage quite early in his music career, and at one point also used to consume it regularly with Courtney Love, his wife. He had enrolled into an L.A.-based rehabilitation facility a few weeks before his death. His band-mate, Krist Novoselic later informed in an interview that Kurt was extremely high on heroin during the days leading up to his suicide.

Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett

The Pink Floyd co-founder, Syd Barrett ended up as a schizophrenic after being addicted to drugs for many years. As a result, he used to suffer from frequent delusions and hallucinations, which used to intensify because of substance abuse.

Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne

Counted among the most popular and influential rock musicians of all time, Ozzy Osbourne had admitted to cocaine use on a good number of occasions. In fact, it’s clearly written in his biography that he along with Black Sabbath had spent close to $ 80,000 on purchase of cocaine alone, in the year 1972. It can be read in another account that Osbourne and his band were known to smuggle huge amounts of the drug through private airoplanes whenever they used to go on tours.

Alice in chains and Layne Staley

The Alice in Chains front man, Layne Staley is another well-known rock artist who battled heroin addiction. Like Kurt Cobain, he started its consumption very early in his music career, but completely stopped using it after his tolerance for the substance became extremely high. Nevertheless, as is the case with anyone addicted to heroin, Layne’s sober days didn’t last very long.