Some pop stars seem to have it all – talent, fame and fortune, among other things. However, some can’t help but flirt with dark side, which jeopardizes everything they worked so hard to gain. While some of these pop stars were able to get their lives in order before it was too late, others weren’t so lucky and suffered some pretty heavy consequences. In memory of all the famous meltdowns we’ve been able to witness, here are 11 pop stars who spiraled completely out of control!
11. Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera has reinvented herself more than once. She went from being a bubblegum pop singer to kinky and edgy, only to adopt a more mature image inspired by Marilyn Monroe. After her divorce from Jordan Bratman, however, the “Dirrty” singer was spotted out and about drinking excessively. In 2011, Aguilera was arrested for public intoxication. She also botched “The Star Spangled Banner” at the Super Bowl XLV. The singer kept a low profile after these events and it all seemed to blow over.
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10. Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams became heavily involved in drugs when he belonged to the British boy group Take That and, once he left to start his own solo career, not much changed. He experimented with cocaine, LSD, amphetamines, ecstasy and heroin. In 2007, he entered rehab for an addiction to prescription medications. Nowadays, the British singer is happy and healthy. He is married with a child and he recently released his tenth studio album, Swings Both Ways.
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9. Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse – who won five Grammy Awards for her album Back to Black – became as well known for her battle with drugs and alcohol as she was for her singing. Her problems began soon after she became famous. In 2005, she went through a period of drinking, heavy drug use and weight loss and, in 2007, she was hospitalized for what was reported as an overdose of heroin, ecstasy, cocaine, ketamine and alcohol. In 2011, after a period of sobriety, she died of alcohol poisoning.
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8. Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus got a lot of attention in 2013 – and not for the right reasons! After her raunchy performance with Robin Thicke at the VMAs, the controversial pop star embarked on her Bangerz tour, which includes Cyrus doing many inappropriate things, including simulating masturbation – while wearing a leotard covered in marijuana leaves – and pretending to perform oral sex on a man dressed as Bill Clinton. Cyrus seems drunk on attention these days and she doesn’t look like she is remotely close to slowing down her ridiculous antics.
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7. A.J. McLean
A.J. McLean – who belonged to the squeaky-clean boy group the Backstreet Boys – struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for years. Even though he has been in and out of rehab since 2001 – his most recent stint being in 2011 – he still falls off the wagon. McLean is currently married with a child, daughter Ava; however, it may not be enough to keep him on the straight and narrow. “I will forever be an alcoholic and an addict in recovery as long as I live. It’s an ongoing struggle, a daily thing,” McLean said.
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6. Aaron Carter
Aaron Carter was a star among teen and pre-teen audiences just over a decade ago; however, when he was on “Dancing with the Stars,” the former pop star developed an addiction to Xanax. “When I was on Dancing with the Stars, I developed an addiction to Xanax because of stage fright, which I developed during the show,” Carter said. He revealed that he was taking up to 14 milligrams of the prescription drug a day, which is three times more than the average dose. He sought treatment back in 2011 and is still performing.
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5. Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber seems like he’s been on the brink of a breakdown for the last year and a half. In 2013, he was caught on camera urinating in a restaurant’s mop bucket and dumping cleaner on a picture of Bill Clinton while he cursed at it; he had numerous run-ins with the paparazzi; and he was caught cavorting with prostitutes in Brazil. 2014 hasn’t been much better. He was arrested for drag racing while reportedly under the influence of drugs and alcohol and, while aboard a private plane, Bieber and his entourage smoked so much marijuana that the pilots had to don oxygen masks.
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4. Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston seemed to have it all and then everything she worked so hard to build began to crumble. After marrying Bobby Brown in 1992, Houston started displaying erratic behavior. She missed performances, lost a considerable amount of weight and was dogged by rumors of drug use. In a 2009 interview with Oprah, Houston admitted to using drugs on a daily basis by 1996. Sadly she never got her habit under control. In 2012, she accidentally drowned in a bathtub due to the effects of chronic cocaine use and heart disease.
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3. Demi Lovato
The former Disney teen queen hit rock bottom when she was just 19-years-old. “I couldn’t go without 30 minutes to an hour without cocaine and I would bring it on airplanes. I would smuggle it basically and just wait until everyone in first class would go to sleep and I would do it right there. I’d sneak to the bathroom and I’d do it,” Lovato said. Fortunately, she was able to change her ways. After checking into a rehabilitation center in 2010, the “X Factor” judge got sober and hasn’t looked back.
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2. Britney Spears
Britney Spears set the standard for all of the bubblegum pop princesses in the late 90’s early 2000’s; however, after divorcing Kevin Federline, she somehow spun completely out of control. She was spotted partying with Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, made a few brief visits to various rehab facilities, began a relationship with paparazzo, Adnan Ghalib, was put on a 5150 psychiatric hold and placed under a court-ordered conservator. Nowadays, Spears is on the straight and narrow. She currently has a two-year residency at Planet Hollywood’s Axis Theatre in Las Vegas.
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1. Nick Carter
Nick Carter was another member of the Backstreet Boys who struggled with substance abuse. He was first addicted to drinking and then later to drugs including cocaine, Ecstasy and prescription painkillers. Carter’s partying got so bad that he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a weakening of the heart, which made him realize that he had to change his ways. Although he still drinks occasionally, he is happier and healthier than ever.