Inside the life of a global superstar: Love, loss, and the fight to keep performing

Depression played a major role in his struggles with alcohol. He told The New York Times in 2013 that after the September 11, 2001, attacks, he felt consumed by despair. ”I used booze as medication,” he admitted. He explained that his drinking often coincided with personal turmoil, including breakups and divorce — alcohol even worsened his failing marriage with one of his wives.

He entered rehab twice for his substance issues: first in 2002, which didn’t help, and again in 2005 at Betty Ford.

”The second time was at Betty Ford, which was not a lot of fun. I was drinking too much,” he told Parade in 2018.

”I said, ‘This time I’m going to stick it through for a month.’ It was one of the best things I ever did.” By 2023, he had quit drinking completely. ”I stopped a couple of years ago,” he said. “It wasn’t a big AA kick. I just got to a point where I’d had enough.”

Romantic relationships brought their own challenges. Married four times, his early unions ended in heartbreak or financial loss. His first wife, who also acted as his manager in the ’70s, allegedly tried to take everything from him while he was hospitalized after a near-fatal motorcycle accident.