5. River Phoenix
River was a sensitive, talented actor who found success at a very young age. Raised in the clutches of The Children of God Cult, along with his brother Joaquin, and sisters Rain, Liberty, and Summer, Phoenix was haunted by his childhood experiences. The Children of God Cult are known for their sick attitude towards their own children: they believe it is natural for kids to have sex with adults. Many boys and girls raised in the cult have gone on to lives of depression, drug abuse, and even suicide, as they struggled with rage and sadness. River’s acting career was the main support for his parents, as he took parts in notable films like Stand By Me, The Mosquito Coast, and Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade.
River would only hint at the abuse in his past, never spelling it out: he found solace in other, self-destructive ways, through cocaine and heroin addiction. His clean-cut image as a vegetarian, an animal rights supporter, and an environmentalist, made his tragic death even more shocking to the world media. River ended his life at such a young age: he was only 23 when he he overdosed on a fatal cocktail of drugs outside Johnny Depp’s Viper Room. Joaquin Phoenix, along with his sister Rain, had to watch the older brother they loved so much die on the pavement.
4. Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain always felt out of place when he was growing up, trapped in a “redneck” town where he was called a “fag” and beaten up. There was so much talent inside of him, even from childhood, but it was mixed with anger and depression. In the end, this combination of melodic beauty and punk angst was like musical alchemy: the songs Kurt wrote were like nothing anyone had ever heard before, they were genius, and they resonated with an entire generation. Kurt tried to deal with fame, but it was hard for him to come to terms
with being a commercial entity, and with entertaining concertgoers who might have beaten him up in high school: he felt conflicted, as though he had betrayed his punk roots. Even in his early recordings with Nirvana, for Sub Pop records, his ability to write songs that were instantly memorable, powerful, and intensely melodic was impossible to ignore.
By the time Nevermind was released in 1991, the world was ready for musical change, and Nirvana flashed like lightning through Generation X, electrifying youth and giving them a voice. Kurt tried to make peace with his choices, but enjoying fame was not possible for him. Hypersensitive to critics, of both himself and Courtney Love, his notorious counterpart, he would rage at the things he read and take them to heart. When Courtney was rumored to have abused heroin during the first trimester of her pregnancy with their daughter, Frances Bean, the world turned against the couple, and things began to spiral out of control.
Kurt went deeper into addiction, and heroin took over his life. Some say fame killed Kurt Cobain, who put a gun to his head in his Seattle home and ended his life on April 5, 1994: but no one should ignore the fatal specter of heroin addiction, which utterly enslaves its victims and breaks their spirit.
3. Whitney Houston
Of all the people on this list, Whitney Houston was quite possibly the most unlikely candidate for train wreck status. Her beauty-queen looks, mesmerizing vocal ability, and her clean-cut Christian image made her seem too polished and pulled together to fall so very far, so very fast. From her beginnings as an Arista recording artist in the 80’s, she took the world by storm, with hit records, constant video play on MTV, and acting roles in successful films like the 90’s hit, The Bodyguard, costarring Kevin Costner. But there was more to Whitney than met the eye: her marriage to Bobby Brown seemed to bring out some hidden darkness in the bright and shiny pop sensation.
When the Nineties ended, and the Millenium was ushered in, Whitney found herself on the skids, weakened by a rumored addiction to crack cocaine. She was often mocked on programs like Mad TV, where she was referred to as “Sweatney”, and her erratic, drug-addled behavior was the butt of jokes. She is allegedly clean now, after a stint in rehab, and she has had custody of her daughter since her divorce from Brown in 2006. But time has taken its toll: Whitney’s voice is not what is once was, and her reputation, once so clean and marketable, is in tatters.
2. Marilyn Monroe
Born Norma Jeane Baker in June of 1926, Marilyn Monroe traveled far from her humble roots, straight to the epicenter of Hollywood. Her hourglass figure and luminous, pale skin, accented with scarlet lipstick, made her an unparalleled icon of American beauty and sexuality.
Marilyn’s childlike quality added some vulnerability to her image, striking a chord with millions of men and women. Her roles in films like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Some Like It Hot put her over the top, creating a cinematic icon that will live forever. Her deft comedic ability and platinum-blonde allure masked an anxious, depressed young woman, who had difficulty showing up at the set on time, and even more difficulty sustaining the relationships that were so very important to her.
Marilyn was mercurial and mutable, always changing for the men she was with, trying desperately to find the happiness that eluded her. Failed marriages to baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, and acclaimed playwright Arthur Miller left her feeling lost and alone. Marilyn took a lot of pills to ease her pain, and her reputation for being difficult to work with intensified. Ill-fated affairs with the Kennedy brothers stained her image even further, as she spiraled downward, facing the prospect of life as an aging beauty, with a history of health problems and miscarriages. Marilyn died of an overdose of barbiturates in Brentwood, California, on August 5, 1962. Although her death is the subject of countless conspiracy theories, the medical examiner labeled her death a “probable suicide”.
1. Elvis Presley
The teenage Elvis Presley was a gentle, Southern momma’s boy with a polite manner and a burning desire to escape from a life of driving trucks and being dirt-poor. Elvis had respect for authority, but it warred with his uncontrollable urge to push the envelope with his wardrobe, his music, and his stage moves. Elvis started out on the Gospel circuit in the South, gaining acclaim for his velvety, rich voice and his energetic performances. He grew into a style that was uniquely his own, a mixture of R & B and country, that became the first true rockabilly music.
Elvis really revealed his brilliance and individuality while recording his first songs at Sun Records, in Memphis, Tennessee. His first single, “That’s All Right (Mama)” caused a sensation on local radio, with kids calling in to find out who was singing. In time, Elvis became the biggest recording artist in America, with classics like “Hound Dog”, “Blue Suede Shoes”, and so many others.
Elvis worked hard and took care of his family: he loved his mother, and he devoted himself to her. But life had its problems: he was constantly being attacked by the establishment, for his provocative dancing, and he was stifled by the control of Colonel Tom Parker, his manager. He married and had a child, acting in films to augment his income, at Parker’s urging. Music seemed to take a backseat to Hollywood, and Elvis turned to food, drugs, and alcohol to soothe his problems. When his mother died, he seemed to lose the will to fight, sinking deeper into obesity and drugs, and becoming a sad caricature of himself: Elvis died of an overdose on August 16, 1977.
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