"I was basically dying" - Billy Idol recounts heroin overdose that almost took his life in 1984, opens up about his addiction in new documentary

Punk rock legend Billy Idol has recently opened up about a drug addiction that nearly took his life years ago. In his upcoming documentary Billy Idol Should Be Dead which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 10, the iconic singer shares the harrowing story of how drugs almost killed him when he got back to England after the success of his sophomore album Rebel Yell.

“I was coming back in triumph and I nearly ruined it.We flew to London where we met a load of our pals that we knew. They had some of the strongest heroin."

Idol continued,

"Everybody did a line or so and they all nodded out except for me and this mate of mine. I was basically dying. I was turning blue. So they put me in an ice cold bath and I remember them walking me around on the top of the building, on the roof.”

It seems as though Billy Idol was miraculously saved despite an extended period of drug abuse, although the list of creative minds who’ve been less fortunate in similar circumstances is a rather long and sad one.

Billy Idol opens up in Billy Idol Should Be Dead

In the documentary, Billy Idol admits that hard drugs went hand in hand with rock and roll culture during his heyday.

“A number of people were on it. But you know, you’re wide open for it. A lot of the people we loved were all heroin addicts. Lou Reed wrote the song ‘Heroin.’ You weren’t thinking how dangerous it was. In fact, you’re thinking quite the opposite. Maybe this could unleash something.”

At another point in Billy Idol Should Be Dead, the rocker opens up about an extreme trip to Thailand that made him kick heroin for good. He recalls that he and a friend amassed an estimated $75,000 in property damages to a hotel on a trip that took place when his son Willem, was a baby.

“Mel Gibson was there with his family on holiday, horrified. The silver lining was I did put heroin behind me. It was too horrible, the whole experience. It actually really put me off.”

Idol then discussed the unfortunate reality of weaning off such a powerful substance,

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“Getting off heroin is one of the most awfulest experiences in the world. Boy George said it right when he said it’s like your skeleton trying to get out of your body. There’s no quick fix. It’s such a long time. You’re just counting the days, the seconds, the hours. Even after six months, you still feel lousy.”

According to an official synopsis, Billy Idol Should Be Dead will follow the artist’s, “meteoric rise from sneering punk provocateur to MTV-era pop superstar. Using never-before-seen archival footage and intimate interviews, the film dives deep into Idol’s formative years and the personal chaos that nearly ended it all.” There is no current streaming release date confirmed for the film.

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