Billy Idol nearly died from heroin overdose at peak of his music career

Fox News

a day ago

Legendary rocker Billy Idol is living to tell his tale.
In a new documentary, the 69-year-old pulled back the curtain on one of the darkest nights of his life as he recounted a harrowing heroin overdose in 1984.
Idol was left unconscious and "basically dying" just as his music career was skyrocketing.
The "Rebel Yell" rocker recalled his drug addiction in his documentary, "Billy Idol Should Be Dead," which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 10.
"I was coming back in triumph, and I nearly ruined it," he confessed, according to People. "We flew to London where we met a load of our pals that we knew. They had some of the strongest heroin. Everybody did a line or so… they all nodded out except for me and this mate of mine."
While Idol's friends passed out, the "Eyes Without a Face" singer said he and his friend continued to do more heroin until the situation took a turn for the worse.
"I was basically dying. I was turning blue."
"I was basically dying. I was turning blue," he said. "So they put me in an ice-cold bath, and I remember them walking me around on the top of the building, on the roof."
Idol claimed that the drug didn't appear to be a big deal during the '80s.
"A number of people were on it… A lot of the people we loved were all heroin addicts," he pointed out. "Lou Reed wrote the song 'Heroin.' You weren't thinking how dangerous it was. In fact, you're thinking quite the opposite. Maybe this could unleash something."
The punk icon also detailed a wild trip to Bangkok, Thailand, in the late 1980s, when his son, Willem, was a baby. Despite the chaos unfolding, his travels marked a turning point in Idol's life.
He remembered racking up an estimated $75,000 in hotel damages.
During the same trip, Idol had a wake-up call that finally made him swear off the drug for good.
According to People, Idol collapsed in a hotel elevator as the doors opened and closed on his unconscious body.
A Hollywood star happened to be visiting the country at the same time and found Idol in a shocking state.
"Mel Gibson was there with his family on holiday, horrified," he pointed out in the doc.
Idol also remembered picking up a large log and hurling it through a glass window. His unruly behavior prompted someone to call the police.
Despite the chaos, Idol shared that he saw the light at the end of the tunnel during his drug addiction. He said the tumultuous moments and brush with death became the wake-up call he needed.
"The silver lining was I did put heroin behind me. It was too horrible, the whole experience. It actually really put me off," he said.
Becoming sober, however, was a brutal process for Idol.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER"Getting off heroin is one of the most awfulest experiences in the world. Boy George said it right when he said it's like your skeleton trying to get out of your body. There's no quick fix. It's such a long time. You're just counting the days, the seconds, the hours. Even after six months, you still feel lousy."
Reps for Idol did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
In the film "Billy Idol Should Be Dead," the punk icon also shared a family revelation that rocked his world.
Idol's family opened up about the moment they learned he unknowingly fathered a son during his wild "Rebel Yell" tour in the 1980s.
"My husband just surprised me with a 23andMe DNA test as a Christmas present," Idol's son Brant's mother revealed in the documentary. "And then a few weeks later, I get the results back on the app and open it and I'm like, who is this? This Brant. And it says his info's like, New York, 1985, looking for my bio dad. I was like, 'What?'"
Brant grew up believing that another man was his father until he started asking questions when a DNA test didn't line up.
"I was like, 'Mom, is there a chance Mark might not be my biological father?' And she's like, 'Well, it's pretty crazy, but back in the day, we broke up and I actually spent a weekend with Billy Idol,'" Brant remarked.
Idol said the discovery was unexpected but ultimately welcome.
"I really enjoyed being a dad. I always wanted a boy and a girl, and I finagled my way into a boy and a girl. In your own daft way, you've achieved what you set out to do," the rocker said. "And I actually had a son that I didn't realize, who I fathered on the Rebel Yell tour without knowing it. So I somehow finagled this as well."
The "White Wedding" rocker first introduced fans to Brant publicly in 2023, when he stood proudly by Idol's side during his Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony.
Idol has three children, sons Brant Broad, Willem Wolfe Broad and daughter Bonnie Blue Broad. He's also grandfather to four grandchildren through Brant and Bonnie.
Although Idol discovered that Brant was his son decades later, the rocker said he admired his bond with his other children.
"Once I saw Brant with Bonnie and Willem, they've all got the same quirky sense of humor," Idol shared. "And once I saw that, I could see he's my son, really."
Brant echoed the same sentiment as he spent time with the legendary rocker.
"He's definitely showed me a lot of love, so I'm blessed," Brant said. "He's a man who loves his family."
Idol has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide and was one of the early stars of MTV in the 1980s. Some of his biggest hits include "Dancing With Myself, "White Wedding," "Rebel Yell," "Mony Mony," "Hot in the City," "Flesh For Fantasy" and "Cradle Of Love."