Elton John: I'm Helping Eminem Kick His Drug Habit
Credit: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images; Sam Snap/FilmMagic
Sounds like Eminem has a true friend in Elton John. The rapper has reportedly been leaning on the singer to fight his addiction to drugs.
"I've been helping Eminem over the last 18 months and he's doing brilliantly," John, 62, told BBC Radio on Friday, without going into further detail.
Eminem (real name: Marshall Mathers), 37, entered rehab for a sleeping pill addiction in 2005. He later told Vibe magazine that he would take "10 to 20" Vicodin (painkiller) pills daily. "Valium, Ambien, the numbers got so high I don't even know what I taking," he said.
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John himself battled alcohol and drug abuse earlier in his career, but has claimed sobriety since the the 1980s.
"I'm there if people want my help," he said in the BBC interview. "If people ask for help you tell them where to go but there's no point advising people if they don't want to do it."
See a photo of Eminem when he was a kid
The unlikely duo performed Eminem's hit song "Stan" together at the 2001 Grammy Awards.
















Tell Us What You Think
20Eminem is gay.
go em your doing it i used to smoke 5 joints aday!!!
why do all of my comments disappear????
Mr. Twinkle Toes fyi racist do not like people because of their RACE NOT SEXUAL ORIENTATION.
In Recovery- Be very proud of yourself! However, not everyone that takes pain meds long term get addicted. It is the ABUSE of them, as in taking too many. The more you take, the higher tolerance you have so the higher dose you need to relieve pain. You have to take them only when the pain is at a level which you can't tolerate and NOT keep increasing them no matter what your doctor says.
Marshall is a total hater. He hates gay people.
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You people must be really dumb to believe that Eminem really hates gays. He is a rapper and a PERFORMER!!! It is all for show!
Go ahead Elton.....suck them drugs out of him.
NICE to hear Elton finally got his desired peice of azz - 'whew'!
January 02, 2010 - 10:11pm Bill Says: I was an Elton fan since I was 8 when I first heard funeral for a friend but when he joined up with the ingnorance that Eminem pushes in his work not art, Elton crossed the line he knows he did and sold out to the public. He has never demanded respect as a gay person PUBLICLY from a person who PUBLICLY has condemed gay people and him being gay makes no sense to try to make his fans accept.I am a gay person in a 28 year commited relationship and had to fight alot of ingnorance in my time and for Elton, a famous gay person to accept this the way he has make my tummy turn. I respect Eminem's talent.I am from the streets and traveled some hard roads to get the knowlege I have earned so I don't treat the power of it lightly.TI has more to offer than the both put together with the knowledge he has gained and is MAN enough to walk the walk not just talk it.(Rap) We have more than one chance in life to get things right.As far as M's addiction be it drugs or his ego, carma, ying and yang and my favorite,what goes around etc.All the addicts I have known are all running from something and use drugs,sex,gambling,food,atc. to cover the wound.We all know that Eminem is gay and has had hostile attitudes about it but I never saw JZ or Dre make excuses to dress in drag as he does.Why would a street hard thug go to a flaming queen for help. I'm gay and a thug and I was man enough to make it work..It can be done M.Open up to let the healing in.Bugged out but true.Good luck cous.. ----------- shut up already.
I was an Elton fan since I was 8 when I first heard funeral for a friend but when he joined up with the ingnorance that Eminem pushes in his work not art, Elton crossed the line he knows he did and sold out to the public. He has never demanded respect as a gay person PUBLICLY from a person who PUBLICLY has condemed gay people and him being gay makes no sense to try to make his fans accept.I am a gay person in a 28 year commited relationship and had to fight alot of ingnorance in my time and for Elton, a famous gay person to accept this the way he has make my tummy turn. I respect Eminem's talent.I am from the streets and traveled some hard roads to get the knowlege I have earned so I don't treat the power of it lightly.TI has more to offer than the both put together with the knowledge he has gained and is MAN enough to walk the walk not just talk it.(Rap) We have more than one chance in life to get things right.As far as M's addiction be it drugs or his ego, carma, ying and yang and my favorite,what goes around etc.All the addicts I have known are all running from something and use drugs,sex,gambling,food,atc. to cover the wound.We all know that Eminem is gay and has had hostile attitudes about it but I never saw JZ or Dre make excuses to dress in drag as he does.Why would a street hard thug go to a flaming queen for help. I'm gay and a thug and I was man enough to make it work..It can be done M.Open up to let the healing in.Bugged out but true.Good luck cous..
I woke up that Sunday morning just two days into my own withdrawals and recovery from my Opiate/Norco addiction and to my husband saying "I'm following the News and you know that Brittany Murphy girl, the one you said is a friend of your cousin's?" I got this huge knot in my stomach and replied, "Uh yeah... Omigod, did she die or something?" and when he said yes... I was just in absolute and complete utter shock! Even more shocked into the reality about the effects of the abuse and lethality of opiates (Oxicontin, Vicodin, Norco, Morphine and the list goes on). That could have been me I thought and broke down... Sadly, I was diagnosed with a dehabilitating disease after nearly dying in a hospital from being septic w/infection. After many months of ER visits and unable to manage my pain/symptoms I finally received a rather devastating diagnosis but learned that it was some ways manageable. I was prescribed Norco (each one equal to two 500 mg strength vicodin) for pain. Unable to physically and mentally cope with my disease I first took the Norco for pain... than I took it to prevent the pain... and when I did not have pain I would continue to take this prescribed medication every day because of the high and the seemingly numbing feeling it would provide to me; I felt able to cope. It got to the point where I'd run out of my prescript early (unfortunately I had a doctor that would give them to me early or provide me with higher dosage whenever I asked and even deterred me from getting help when I came to her and asked her not to prescribe them to me anymore)... I'd borrow pills from friends, family and buy from other sources and when I would run out, Iâ??d even resort to the use of oxicontin (a very deadly and scary drug). It took me a year to realize what was happening to me (and many nights on very high overdose levels of prescription drugs, forcing myself to breath and honestly afraid to fall asleep or that I might not wake up) and to admit to myself that I â??am an addict and I'm abusing my prescript drugs; drugs nonetheless... less than two months to the day that I admitted to my husband that I had a severe problem (by then everyone in my immediate family had started to take notice and concern), and I asked him to take control my prescription and hand them to me like a child until I reach the courage to seek help through a place that provides help of detox and recovery. That day came sooner than I thought and Iâ??m so happy I made the choice of life and to free myself, and my family from my addiction; just two days before the death of Brittany! This isn't just some thing (disease and addiction) that happens in Hollywood. People (hundreds of thousands, maybe millions?) everywhere are either dying from or becoming addicted to drugs of all kinds everyday even when it's not at first non-intentional (I became a victim of my own genetic disease and in the process acquired an addiction)... It can happen to anyone and it hurts everyone! I wish Brittany could have saved herself! All I know is that she died at the age of 32 from â??Cardiac Arrestâ?? and that's NOT NATURAL... She obviously died of something disease related, whether it is the drug addiction disease, eating disorder disease, genetic disease; or combination of the three. So very sad, may she rest in peace and that her family finds peace! If you are a person reading this that may think that they may have any drug or disease related addiction or a eating disorder please be strong enough to seek help, and don't live another day in your battle in fear that you may not wake up to see tomorrow... YOU ARE NOT ALONE! There are so many caring and understanding people in recovery clinics or your primary healthcare that can help get you through, and help you to overcome your disease/addiction. I ask that you put your pride and any embarrassments aside and GET HELP NOW AND NOT PUT IT OFF TO LATER... Brittany ran out of time (she will be missed...), you do not have to do the same... Good luck Eminem! Bless Elton John and every person like him!!!
Nice of Elton to help some washed up hack who is very racist toward gay people.
ELTON JOHN IS A MUSICAL GENIUS!! He has the kindest soul. I think that is so wonderful of him to help someone who is going through something he himself conquered.
ELTON JOHN IS A MUSICAL GENIUS!! He has the kindest soul. I think that is so wonderful of him to help someone who is going through something he himself conquered.
That's nice of Elton to do!
uhhh....he said he's there to help IF THEY WANT IT!!! you have to WANT to quite in order to even attempt to quit...im sure michael did not think he had a problem, or if he did know, he wasnt ready to stop!! that is what is sad to me!!
So where were you Elton with Michael Jackson?? Eh he died of a drug overdose and a major addict going to 4 different doctors and nurses asking for it they all said NO!! BUT BOUGHT A BAD DOSE AND DID IT.. Too bad so many actors and singers die from prescription overdoses and they praise them as if they did nothing wrong..
Please get better I miss your music Im ready to hear some new songs from you...