When it comes to public battles with addiction, alcohol abuse is often sidelined. The abuse of other drugs is perceived as being more serious, and problems with drinking are often put on the back burner. However, alcohol abuse, especially over an extended period, can be extremely damaging to our health and is definitely not something to be taken lightly. Unfortunately, there are many celebrities who ultimately succumbed to their drinking problem.
Do you recall these cases? Check out this gallery to see which stars died as a result of alcohol abuse.
'Dallas' star Larry Hagman, who played the villainous J.R. Ewing, died at the age of 81 in 2012. He developed liver cancer and cirrhosis of the liver in the 1990s due to decades of drinking, and underwent a life-saving liver transplant.
He got sober at that point but the anti-rejection medications given to organ transfer patients increase the risk of developing cancer. He announced that he had been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2011, and in 2012, he ultimately died of acute myeloid leukemia.
In early 1995, doctors found that Mantle's liver had been rotted by hepatitis, cirrhosis, and cancer. He received a liver transplant, but ultimately died on August 13, 1995.
Errol Flynn was an Australian-born actor who rose to fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was best known for playing romantic swashbuckler roles.
The actor was known for his hedonistic behavior, which included hard drinking and at one point narcotics abuse. He died at 50, and the autopsy showed he had heart disease and cirrhosis.
She quickly achieved mainstream success, but her career became blighted by legal troubles and substance abuse. She died of cirrhosis when she was just 44 years old.
Country musician Hank Williams, who brought us such classics as 'Hey, Good Lookin,' died at a tragically young age from complications after alcohol abuse.
Author Jack Kerouac, whose second novel 'On the Road' (1957) made him an icon of the Beat Generation, struggled with alcohol abuse throughout his life.
He died in 1969 after being rushed to the hospital when he started vomiting blood while drinking whiskey. His cause of death was a hemorrhage caused by cirrhosis.
The coroner's inquest revealed that Bonham had been on a real bender the day before his death, and reports suggest he had kicked off the day with 16 shots of vodka at breakfast.
Former 'Jacka**' star Ryan Dunn died in a car accident when he was just 34 years old. He was driving himself and one passenger when he veered off the road and hit a tree.
The toxicology report showed that when Dunn crashed his blood alcohol level was over twice the legal limit. This was not Dunn's first DUI offense, and he was known to struggle with addiction.
Actor and comedian Verne Troyer, well known for playing Mini-Me in the 'Austin Powers' film series, died at the age of 49 in 2018. He had spent time in rehab to treat his alcoholism but following his death, it was ruled that he had taken his own life through alcohol poisoning.
Richard Burton, esteemed actor and on-off husband to Elizabeth Taylor, suffered from alcoholism the majority of his adult life. In 1974, he had a brush with death due to excessive drinking.
When he did pass in 1984 at the age of 58, it was due to an intracerebral hemorrhage. His actual death was sudden, but his health had been declining for many years due to alcoholism.
Veronica Lake was an actress best known for her femme fatale film roles. She was very successful initially, but her career quickly declined, in part due to her drinking.
As the story goes, Reed, who was renowned for being a heavy drinker but who had apparently been off booze for months prior, got involved in a drinking match that ultimately killed him.
Cassidy went on to have a successful career as a musician but his life was troubled behind the scenes. In 2008, he admitted publicly that he had a drinking problem. In 2017, he died of liver and kidney failure as a result of years of alcohol abuse. He was 67 years old.
AC/DC frontman Bon Scott died at the premature age of 33. The band was on the cusp of international stardom when he was found dead in his car on a cold day in London, in 1980.
He had gone to sleep in his car after a night of heavy drinking and suffered from acute alcohol poisoning. Scott's friends say that he was reckless with drugs and alcohol for years before his death.
Amy Winehouse
- British singer Amy Winehouse was known worldwide for her incredibly soulful voice, but unfortunately also for her struggles with addiction. She died of alcohol poisoning in her London flat in 2011. She was just 27 years old.
Elphick had a very public battle with alcoholism and at his worst was said to drink 2 liters of liquor per day. His drinking was a contributing factor to the heart attack that killed him in 2002.
Barbara Payton was once an aspiring actress whose promise was blighted by her problems with alcoholism and drug addiction. Her life was the subject of much public interest.
Payton's battles with substance abuse got her in trouble for check fraud and prostitution, and were her ultimate cause of death: she died from heart and liver failure at the age of 39.
Vincent Jackson was a professional football player who played in the NFL for 12 seasons. He retired in 2018 after having spent two years on reserve for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to a weak knee. In 2021, he was found dead in his home at the age of 38 with no clear cause of death.
