Top 10 Rock Musicians Who Achieved Sobriety

This list highlights rock musicians who became notorious for their heavy drug and/or alcohol addictions and managed to achieve sobriety. They can be living or deceased, as long as they achieved sobriety and maintained it until they passed away.

One of the main criteria for this list is how intense or notorious their period of addiction was. Feel free to add more examples.

The Top Ten

  1. Alice Cooper

    Alice Cooper is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and occasional actor whose career spans more than six decades. Known for his distinctive raspy voice and theatrical stage shows, Cooper is often referred to as the Godfather of Shock Rock. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in... read more

    In 1983, after years of alcohol and drug abuse, Alice Cooper finally achieved sobriety. He has since then helped others achieve sobriety, including Dave Mustaine, who once called Alice his "godfather."

    Congratulations on realizing that Poison is the only poison you need in your life, Mr. Cooper.

  2. Joe Walsh

    Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He is widely known for his work as a guitarist and vocalist for the Eagles, and previously played with the James Gang and Barnstorm. Walsh is also recognized for... read more

    Joe said that after waking up on a plane in Paris not knowing how or why he got there, he decided to get sober. He has stayed clean ever since.

  3. Stevie Ray Vaughan

    Stephen "Stevie" Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 - August 27, 1990) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Despite a mainstream career that lasted only seven years, he's widely considered one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of music. He played a key... read more

    In 1986, Stevie Ray checked into rehab after nearly dying from dehydration while on tour. He remained clean for the rest of his life and famously used the phrase "thank God the elevator's broken" in the liner notes for his album "In Step." This was a reference to the "twelve steps" used by Alcoholics Anonymous.

  4. Eric Clapton

    Eric Patrick Clapton is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is the only three-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of the Yardbirds and Cream. He was also a founding member of Derek and the Dominos, known for... read more

    Eric's rehabilitation process lasted over the course of the early 80s. He has since remained completely sober.

  5. Neil Young

    Neil Percival Young is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, musician, producer, director, and screenwriter. He gained fame both as a solo artist and as a member of bands such as Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Known for hits such as Heart of Gold and Rockin' in the Free World... read more

    In 2011, Neil Young publicly announced his sobriety, saying that he wanted to know what it feels like to live life while sober.

  6. David Bowie

    David Robert Jones, known professionally as David Bowie (January 8, 1947 - January 10, 2016), was an English singer born in London, the son of a sales promotion officer and a housewife.

    He earned praise for his experimental and creative music, won numerous awards, and gained admiration from critics... read more

    David Bowie began taking measures against his addictions when he infamously moved to Berlin to create "Low," "Heroes," and "Lodger." He was completely clean by the time he reached his 50s.

  7. Tom Waits

    Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits, born on December 7, 1949, is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. He is recognized for his distinctive, gravelly voice and for blending musical styles such as blues, jazz, vaudeville, and experimental sounds.... read more

    Tom says that he has been sober for twenty years, partially due to the influence of his wife Kathleen, who has helped him manage almost all aspects of his personal life.

  8. Elton John

    Sir Elton Hercules John, born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on March 25, 1947, is an English singer, pianist, and composer. He has collaborated with lyricist Bernie Taupin since 1967 on more than 30 albums. John has sold over 300 million records, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time.... read more

    Known for his cocaine abuse in the 1970s, Elton got sober in 1990 after hearing about teenager Ryan White dying from AIDS. Realizing that he was self-absorbed with his own addiction, he dedicated his time to supporting the fight against AIDS.

  9. James Hetfield

    James Alan Hetfield was born on August 3, 1963. He is an American musician, singer, and songwriter known for being the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter for the American thrash metal band Metallica. He helped form the iconic thrash metal group in 1981 after answering... read more

    As anyone who has watched Some Kind of Monster knows, James went into rehab in 2002. He has remained sober since then.

  10. Ringo Starr

    Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, usually for one song on each album, including "Yellow Submarine... read more

    Ringo became a full-blown alcoholic in the 1970s and 1980s. He was even a member of the infamous Hollywood Vampires drinking club, which also included Alice Cooper, Micky Dolenz, and Keith Moon, among others. He and his wife, Barbara Bach, both went into rehab in 1988. They are both sober and are still married to this day.

    11. The Newcomers
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    Dave Gahan

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    Ivan Moody

    Ivan L. Moody, known by the pseudonym Ghost during his time with Motograter, is the lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch from Las Vegas, Nevada. He joined the band in 2006 and has contributed to multiple platinum-certified albums. Moody is also known for his acting... read more

    13. The Contenders

  13. David Crosby

    David Van Cortlandt Crosby (August 14, 1941 - January 18, 2023) was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was a founding member of the Byrds. Crosby, Stills & Nash, later Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. And CPR, and he also released several solo albums. Crosby was inducted into the Rock and... read more

  14. Jerry Cantrell

    Jerry Fulton Cantrell Jr. is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and guitarist best known as the founder, lead guitarist, co-lead vocalist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Alice in Chains. He has also released solo albums and contributed to various collaborations. Cantrell's guitar work... read more

  15. Bonnie Raitt

    Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter, musician, and activist. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of albums that blended blues, rock, folk, and country influences. She achieved commercial success and critical acclaim with her 1989 album Nick of Time, which won three Grammy Awards... read more

    She's been clean and sober since 1987. She said that one of the things that encouraged her to get help was seeing Stevie Ray Vaughan live and realizing that he was even better while sober.

  16. Brett Anderson

    The lead singer for Suede, he was addicted to heroin and crack cocaine in the late 1990s, and his addiction caused numerous problems during the recording sessions for their fourth album Head Music. Brett finally decided to get sober after a close friend of his became ill. He has been clean ever since.

  17. John Frusciante

    John Anthony Frusciante is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer, and composer. He is best known as the guitarist for the funk rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Frusciante has also worked with the Mars Volta and was a member of Ataxia and several other musical projects.

  18. Belinda Carlisle

    Belinda Jo Carlisle is an American singer who achieved global fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's. The Go-Go's became the first all-female band that wrote its own songs and played its own instruments to top the Billboard 200, achieving the feat with Beauty and the Beat in 1982. Carlisle later launched... read more

    Yes, she's a drummer and a guitarist in her spare time, but she made the greatest moment of her career by stopping using cocaine, quitting booze, and smoking all at once in 2005. Today, at age 63, she's in the best shape of her life. Its Joeysworld

  19. Rob Halford

    Robert John Arthur "Rob" Halford, born August 25, 1951, is an English singer and songwriter. He joined the heavy metal band Judas Priest in 1973 and has served as its lead vocalist throughout most of its history. Halford is often called the "Metal God" and is celebrated for his powerful, wide-ranging... read more

    He heavily abused drugs and alcohol, but in 1986 went to rehab and got clean. He has been clean and sober ever since.

  20. Damon Albarn

    Damon Albarn is an English singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the lead singer of the British rock band Blur and as the co-founder, vocalist, instrumentalist, and principal songwriter for the virtual band Gorillaz... read more

  21. Graham Coxon

  22. Jack Grisham

    Vocalist for T.S.O.L., he was an addict but has been sober since 1989.

  23. Keith Morris

  24. Slash

    Saul Hudson, known professionally as Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He has also released solo work and collaborated with... read more

    After years of heavy alcohol and drug abuse, Slash got sober in 2005. He also gave up smoking in 2009 after his mother died from lung cancer.

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