When you are a rock star, one thing is for certain: the lifestyle that goes with being a famous musician sure is a roller coaster. They are adored by millions, perform on the biggest stages, and are considered legends even during their lifetime. However, behind all the glitz and glam, some rumors can seriously damage their legacy. Some are harmless, while others are kept hidden by the musician and their management for decades. Curious what those are? Read on to find out!
Charles Manson's Short Lived Career As A Songwriter For The Beach Boys
This was rumored for a while and apparently, it is true. The Beach Boys' drummer, Dennis Wilson, met with the infamous Charles Manson before the latter's crimes as a murderous cult leader took place. Wilson Invited Manson to his home studio to work on a song Manson wrote. Manson asked if there would be no changes, but Wilson ended up changing the lyrics, the musical style, and the title, and the finished song featured on the B side of one of The Beach Boys albums.
The story took yet another turn when Wilson didn't give any writing or producing credits to Manson, leaving him out completely. Years later, Charles Manson became infamous for a completely different reason, when he sent his cult members on a murderous rampage.
Michael Jackson Wrote A Song For Another Legend: Sonic The Hedghog
We have here two legends who left their mark on the world in their respective fields. Michael Jackson is known as the king of pop, dominating the music charts for decades. The Sonic The Hedgehog franchise established itself through video games, movies, tv-series, which resulted in a whopping $6 billion. The two seem unrelated until one super fan of both MJ and Sonic realized the music on the Sonic The Hedgehog 3 (A video game) sounded very much like the late singer.
In January 2016, this rumor was finally given a confirmation when the composers of the game's soundtrack revealed Michael Jackson had a hand in writing the music for the video game!
Friends Of Tupac Shakur Smoked His Ashes
Some friendships are too hard to explain, but this must have been a pretty close group of friends if they went ahead and smoked their friend's ashes. Members of Outlawz, Tupac Shakur's rap group, confirmed they mixed his ashes with weed and rolled it into a cigarette. The idea came from Tupac himself after his friends listened to his song, Black Jesus, and he rapped "last wishes n****s, smoke my ashes."
We love our friends, we would do anything for them, but we're not sure smoking them after they pass away ever crossed our minds. We are content with our memories of them.
Bill Wyman, Rolling Stones' Bassist's Relations With A 13 Year Old Girl
The Rolling Stones' bassist, Bill Wyman, met 13-year-old Mandy Smith as the band's fame skyrocketed into superstardom and pursued a relationship with the young girl. Smith herself confirmed they had sexual relations when she was only 14 years old (Wyman was 48 years old at the time) and they did eventually get married when she turned 18, the legal age for marriage in the United Kingdom. The marriage lasted for two years.
It's safe to say that this was in no way legal. The former bassist later admitted he was "really stupid" to believe the marriage could work. We wonder what Smith thinks about the whole ordeal.
Rapper Danny Brown's Incident While Performing
This is a wild rumor that turned out to be true. Rapper Danny Brown performed in 2013 on the Triple Rock Social Club's stage as part of his tour. During the permanence, alongside Kitty Pryde (Rapper and Singer), a group of women reached out and groped Brown. One of them took it too far and yanked the rapper's pants down, and started performing an oral act on him. It is saddening to see performers aren't protected as they should be from certain crowds.
Kitty Pryde later confirmed the rumor and admitted the entire ordeal has caught both Brown and herself by surprise. She reinforced this was a sexual assault and reminded fans that Danny deserves respect as a human.
Ozzy Osbourne Bites More Than He Can Chew
If you haven't heard about Ozzy Osbourne biting a dead bat's head off during a performance, you must have been living under a rock. A young fan their dead bat to the show and threw it on stage. Osbourne thought it was a rubber bat and playfully bit its head off, only to discover he had just bitten off the real head of a real bat. The artist needed to get a rabies shot after the incident.
Get ready because this wasn't his first animal to bite the head off of. During a meeting with his record company, Osbourne bit a dove's head off. This time it was alive. Not nice, Ozzy. Not nice.
David Bowie And Mick Jagger's Time Together
We are always cool with people exploring and trying out things that make them feel good. We can't get over this steamy rumor about David Bowie and Mick Jagger's night together. Bowie's first wife, Angie, claimed she found both artists in bed, passed out and in their birthday suits, side by side. Maybe she was jealous she wasn't invited to the party? We would be! Later, Angie doubled down on her claims.
The truth to the rumor is they did end up in bed together, clothes on the floor, and passed out, but it ends there, as the two men didn't do anything further.
Steven Tyler's Other Child Who's Also His Girlfriend
Julia Holcomb was only 16 years-old girl when Aerosmith's lead singer, Steven Tyler, convinced her parents to grant him guardianship over her, so she can tour with the band and cross state lines with him. They toured together for a couple of years, and Holcomb heavily drank alcohol and took drugs frequently. The two eventually ended their relationship after Tyler forced Holcomb to get an abortion when she was five months pregnant, which she did.
Today, Holcomb is long sobered up, has converted to Roman Catholicism, is a mother of seven, and has created a life for herself away from the spotlight and Tyler.
The House That Took Keith Moon And Mama Cass
Mama Cass from The Mamas & The Papas stayed at singer Harry Nilsson's apartment while on tour in 1974. Nilsson would often rent out his place for friends. Mama Cass then sadly passed away in her sleep due to heart failure. In 1978, Keith Moon from The Who rented out Nilsson's apartment and accidentally overdosed on a sedative. Both were legends in the music world, both taken at the same apartment and both were only 32 years old.
This London house might be haunted by their ghosts, or it could be waiting to claim more musical icons' lives if they dare to spend the night while touring there.
If Van Halen Says "No Brown M&Ms", You should Listen
Rock stars will always come with a list of demands that might prove they are divas in hiding. However, in this case, the one demand that might make the band Van Halen seem nuts actually comes from a safety concern. The band inserted a line, in very small print, demanding to remove every brown M&M from their dressing room. The list also had many safety checks and guidelines which the venues needed to follow.
If a brown M&M was found in their dressing room, that means the rest of the guidelines might have been ignored. The stage would then needed another inspection, as the show involved progressive light works that needed specific requirements.
Ozzy And Animals Do Not Go Well Together
Another entry regarding artist and wildman Ozzy Osbourne, this time it doesn't involve decapitating heads of any flying creatures (RIP bat. RIP dove). While touring around with Motely Crue, Osbourne found himself on a dare competition with Nikki Sixx. One of Osbourne's dares was to snort an entire line of ants! We see a pattern here with Ozzy and animals, and we think it's time someone should put a stop to his bizarre shenanigans.
Then again, nobody tells a rock legend like Ozzy what to do. But maybe he should channel that energy into pottery-making? A cooking class? He can learn how to make dove\bat soup.
David Bowie Doesn't Remember Recording "Station To Station"
In 1975, David Bowie recorded the entire album Station To Station in ten days. While the album is recognized as one of the greatest rock albums in history, the artist himself does not remember recording any of the songs. The period now named "10 days of feverish activity" was fueled by excessive use of cocaine. This ended up erasing his memory of the recording.
We don't recommend doing something so unhealthy and dangerous for the sake of making an album, or for any reason for that matter, but it is quite impressive after Station To Station became a mega-hit upon release.
Keith Richards Thinks Sleeping Is Oveerrated
The human body is a marvelous thing and if you ask Keith Richards, he will tell you how in 1978, he spent five days straight without any sleep to record Before They Make Me Run. He stayed up while sound engineers around him swapped places so they could sneak in naps. That wasn't the only time he kept himself awake, though. On a different occasion, Richards kept himself awake for nine days and ended up with an injury.
It does make us wonder, what else can the rock star's superhuman body do? We can't even function if we get less than 8 hours of sleep at night!
Gram Parsons's Final Journey Home To The Unknown
This interesting rumor actually takes place after Gram's passing. His long-time friend and producer, Phil Kaufman, tried to keep his word on a pact he made with Parsons, and spread his ashes in Joshua Park. Kaufman stole Parsons's body from LAX, used gasoline to set the coffin on fire, was chased by the police (He wasn't caught), and in the end, he was fined only 750$. Despite the adventure, Parsons' remains ended up back on route to New Orleans.
We think Kaufman is a great friend who tried his best to honor his late buddy. We are sure Gram thanked him from above for trying.
Knock knock, Have You Heard Of Our Heavenly Father, Prince?
Prince is a rock icon, a legend like no other. His music inspired many artists and their musical styles, and his great tunes undeniably changed our world. but in the middle of making all that sweet music, he found time to go door to door as a Jehova's witness. He really did! Countless people said they were paid a visit by the late singer, asking if they've heard about the good word of God. We would probably freeze on the spot if Prince came to our door.
The fact that this is true and not a rumor just enhances the mystery that was Prince and who he was as a person. Despite being a musical legend in his lifetime, he humbly went door to door to spread his faith.
Axl Rose's Special Sound Effects
This one is a doozy. Axl Rose, from a little band called Guns N' Roses, recorded himself and a female companion having intimate relations and added the soundtrack onto the song Rocket Queen. For thirty minutes, a sound engineer recorded the pair having sex inside the studio. Sometimes certain songs demand a certain kind of sound, and in the end, the song became a hit. You can go ahead and actually hear it!
We've heard of many methods to get the perfect sound, but this might be the first we've heard when it comes to using real live, ehm, intimacy for a song.
Rick James' Debut on National Television With Dick Clark
In his autobiography, Rick James wrote about his first time on national television when he went on American Bandstand with Dick Clark. Right before getting in front of the camera, the artist used a respectable amount of illegal substances. As the interview started, James' nose began dripping. He tried at first to sniff and wipe himself, but it was no use. Everyone watching knew exactly what was going on.
Although this wasn't the best way to be introduced to the world, today, |Rick James is a household name, and he is a legend amongst legends in the music industry.
The 30 Songs Van Morrison Wrote In A Single Day
Sometimes you got to do what you got to do. Take, for example, Van Morrison, one of the most iconic artists in music history, who has written incredible masterpieces during his career. However, there was a day in 1967 in which Morisson forced himself to write thirty new songs to get out of a contract he wished to end. Not everybody can write music, and even the best of the best can't write thirty songs, one after the other, in one day.
The new songs weren't the best of his career, but his goal was achieved, and his contract with the executives ended with both sides content as they got what they wanted.
The Fall Of Pop Sensation Gary Glitter
What started off as a rumor turned out to be the horrific truth. The artist known as Gary Glitter assaulted underage girls until 2015, and ended up getting sentenced to 16 years in prison. The singer rose to fame during the '70s, sold-out arenas, and sold over 20 million records in his prime. However, in the 1990s, it finally came to light that he was abusing young girls and women, as stories piled on.
The former pop sensation lost everything and everyone he cared about. His life today is anything but glitter, as he is currently in prison.
A Fishing Trip With Led Zeppelin Gone Wrong
This Mud Shark Incident earned a lot of notoriety when it first came out to the public. Members of the band Led Zeppelin were staying at Seattle's Edgewater Inn, and they spent the evening fishing right from their room's balcony. Sounds pretty harmless, right? That is until they had a groupie come in, and the story takes a left turn into something quite gross. The band members apparently inserted the fish they caught into the groupie's private parts.
To make matters worse, they even caught it on a super 8 film. However, the groupie did confirm it was all consensual. This one should have stayed a rumor.
Jerry Lee Lewis And His 13-Year-old Bride
Jerry Lee Lewis, a rising star during the late '50s, kept a secret that would ultimately put a dent on his career. The singer married his once-removed cousin, who at the time was only 13 years old. Gross, we know. As he set out to London as part of his European tour, a reporter asked him who the young woman accompanying him was. Lewis responded she is his wife of two months. When the true nature of their relationship was revealed, his fans got angry.
His fans were so angry and disgusted, it resulted in the cancelation of the entire European tour planned ahead. His career suffered a minor setback, yet he still became a household name.
Elvis Used To Wear An Anti Drug Badge
We know what you're thinking. How did Elvis, the king of Rock N Roll earn this specific badge? You can thank former U.S. president Richard Nixon. Elvis told Nixon he was on his side when it comes to the war the president proclaimed on drugs and this earned him that badge. In reality, Elvis believed wearing the badge would allow him to carry drugs legally to different cities around the United States during his tours.
Elvis's life came to end after years of drug use and health deterioration. His legacy, to this day, remains influential to many artists and fans, and he is still known as the king.
Marilyn Manson Was Born From Two Opposites
Brian Hugh Warner came up with his stage name by combining two individuals who couldn't be any more different, Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson. If you tried figuring out who Charles Monroe is, then try again. We're talking about Marilyn Manson. The reason he chose this name is to show how our society elevates serial killers to icon statues just like we movie stars.
It's unfortunate, but the artist has a valid point about how we perceive people in the media. People do see Charles Manson as an icon, and to this day, we still remember him for his crimes.
KISS' Blood Was Used As Ink In their Comics
This is one hundred percent true! Somehow not surprising at all. In 1977, band members of rock band KISS went to Marvel's offices. A nurse waited for them to draw their blood in front of fans. Those blood vials were then put inside the ink that would later cover the pages of their very first comic book. That's some determination, don't you agree?
If you ever wanted to clone yourself your very own KISS band member, you might just need to get your hands on the very first edition of their comic book. The DNA sample is waiting for you.
Willie Nelson Will Do Anything For This
Willie Nelson, a legend in his own right and a musical icon, is known for his love for marijuana. This next rumor turned out to be true, as confirmed by Mr. Nelson himself. He admitted to running into a burning building to retrieve his stash of weed. Some may argue Willie did it because he truly loved and cared for his drugs. Later on, he added he did it because he didn't want the firemen to find it first and report it to the police.
It should be noted this happened before he was famous and made it big in the music world. Would he still run into a burning building today for his drugs? Probably but we ain't judging. You do you, Willie!
You Can Always Count On Your Friends
Iggy Pop admitted himself into a mental hospital in California for his severe drug addictions. He did it to get himself clean, so he could get back to his career. Unfortuenly for him, David Bowie, one of his closest friends, came by the hospital to visit him along with other friends. According to Bowie, they only knew Iggy was not feeling well, so they brought a lot of drugs for him to take. They thought he was losing it because it would have been days since the last time he took any.
David Bowie did try and help out his friend, and his intentions were good after all. It might have been best to find out beforehand why he checked himself into a mental institution, though.
We Now Pronounce You The White Stripes
For some unknown reason, the formerly married rock duo believed if they claimed they were brother and sister, people would listen to them. These two claimed they were siblings and even said they were the youngest of ten siblings overall! Their plan finally came to an end when a reporter revealed their marriage certificate. They got hitched in 1996, and divorced four years later.
We guess their relationship remained pretty good after that because they continued to make music long after their divorce. Good on them for showing divorced couples can still be friends.
Prince And Mayte Garcia's Secret Child
We can't even begin understanding the pain of losing a child. We are not going to try. It took almost three decades for Prince's former wife to confirm the rumor about a child she had with the late singer. The child, named Amiir Gregory Nelson, was born with a rare disease that caused devastating deformities. The child lived for only six days.
This eventually would lead to the couple's marriage falling apart. We hope in some way both of them found peace after the terrible, heartbreaking tragedy.
The Beatles Weren't Always The Beatles
The most popular rock band to ever exist, The Beatles, played shady strip clubs when they were just starting their career. That's right, if you are planning to go into music, you should know that everyone has to start somewhere. They would play background music for almost five hours straight, and would reportedly use drugs to make it through the duration of their long sets.
Imagine seeing a band you first saw in a strip club become the biggest band in human history! What do you do with that information? Would anyone believe you?
One LSD Trip Can Make you Quit Fleetwood Mac
Danny Kirwan sang and played guitar with the legendry band, Fleetwood Mac from 1967 until 1972. After he quit the band, a rumor began circulating around claiming his departure was because of drug use. It's not unheard of for musicians to do drugs, but in this case, all it took was one bad LSD trip to make this musician quit the band. He actually broke his guitar and smashed his head against a wall.
The first rule of doing drugs is clear, better not use them before performing live on stage with a musical instrument. That is a trip you don't come back from, no matter who you are.
Fleetwood Mac Had Their Fair Share Of Rumors
It no surprise that a band that has an album called Rumors will have, well... a lot of rumors about them. Christine McVie wrote a song called "You Make Loving Fun" and told John McVie, her bandmate and husband at the time, the song was written for her dog. Both John and the world would later discover the truth, as Christine wrote this song for a secret lover, the band's lighting director, Curry Grant.
The couple divorced the same year their album Rumors came out, however they succeeded in putting the pain behind them, and both remained in the band to this day.
Iggy Pop's First Solo Show Was A Real Life Horror Movie
Iggy Pop helped define music with his unique style and musical talent and has been crowned as the Godfather of Punk. This rumor about his first solo show turned out to be astonishingly true. During his first performance, he encouraged his guitarist at the time to whip him repeatedly. After that, the artist grabbed a cutting knife and threatened an audience member so they would attack him. The audience member didn't take the bait.
Iggy saw he isn't getting anything from the audience. He then proceeded to carve an X on his own chest. For a first solo show, these stunts he pulled seem pretty horrific.
The Mamas and The Papas lead Singer's Relations With His Daughter
This rumor was given confirmation when Mackenzie Phillips, daughter of frontman John Phillips, told the world about a long 10-year incestuous relationship her father forced her into. Mackenzie stated it began when she was 19 years old, and both of them were under the heavy narcotic influence, which her father used to abuse her.
It all ended when Mackenzie became pregnant but didn't know who the baby's father was, either her husband or her own father. She had an abortion and never let her father come near her again.
The Phillips Family Never Recovered From Mackenzie's Claims
Mackenzie Phillips came forward with her truth 8 years after her father, John, passed away, so he couldn't deny or confirm the allegations. The aftermath of Mackenzie's story caused the Phillips family members and band members of The Mamas And The Papas to choose sides. Mackenzie's sister Chynna, and John's bandmate Denny Doherty believed the claims, as both had insight before she came forward and exposed the awful truth. Doherty even admitted to feeling horrified at his bandmate's actions.
Mackenzie's other sister, Bijou, and her own mother deny all the claims and flat out said she's lying. As their account of John's character shows no signs of this type of behavior.
Iggy Pop Gave His Girlfriend's Dogs Drugs
This rumor was confirmed by Iggy Pop's former girlfriend, model Bebe Buell. She came home to find Iggy passed out along with her two dogs. He admitted to taking valium, and in wrongful judgment, he gave it to her dogs too. He gave his word to the model, he didn't mean to hurt them, and he didn't have any bad intentions towards the two dogs. Knowing Iggy's behavior, it isn't hard to believe him.
He might be out of his mind at times and extremely eccentric, but his intention was never to harm someone else. Does he go along with his own antics? Yes. Is he bad? We don't think so.
Sueing Bon Jovi For All The Money In The World
There was a rumor about someone who sued Bon Jovi for stealing their song. It turns out Samuel Bartley Steele did just that when he claimed the renowned artist stole the lyrics and the chorus to his song "Man, I Really Love This Team" and compared it to Bon Jovi's song "I Love This Town." Artists usually get sued a lot during their career, as everyone wants a piece of their fortune, and Bon Jovi's management managed to get Steels's lawsuit thrown out.
What makes this lawsuit so amusing was the requesting price Steele demanded, which was, believe it or not, 400 billion dollars. Yes, he wanted all the money from everyone.
Sum 41's Lawsuit Over A Thrown Hotdog
Michael Sudore attended a minor league baseball game in 2002, in which Sum 41 played their music. During the short performance, the band threw a hotdog at the audience which accidentally hit Sudore, it was caught on tape by the band, and they used the footage to include in their DVD album Does This Look Infected. Now, we understand this might look bad for Sudore, as no one wants an ordeal like that caught on camera and then sent to the band's fans.
However, Sudore did try to sue Sum 41 for 6 million dollars in damages. We're pretty sure getting hit by a stray hotdog doesn't warrant a 6 million dollar lawsuit.
That One Time Nikki Sixx Rose From The Dead
A rumor began making waves around the world that Motley Crue's bassist Nikki Sixx apparently died. Guess what, he did. He really did! In 1987, the musician overdosed on heroin, and he lost consciousness. He was pronounced dead inside the ambulance that took him. Here is where this rumor turns this man into a phenomenon, he rose from the dead, he came back to life, he resurrected himself at the hospital!
Now there's another rumor about what happened after the hospital. Apparently, Nikki went back to his home and did more drugs. Damn, not even dying stopped him from doing drugs.