Gates Hide Lives of Drug Abuse
GATES HIDE LIVES OF DRUG ABUSE, San Jose Mercury News, 31 Jun 1998
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LOS ANGELES -- John Belushi's death by drug overdose 16 years ago at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood was a wake-up call to Hollywood's flagrant use of cocaine and other hard drugs.
But Hollywood's insatiable appetite has continued to play havoc with the careers, reputations and lives of many prominent stars -- River Phoenix, Chris Farley, Robert Downey Jr., Kelsey Grammer and, just last week, Charlie Sheen, to name just a few.
And now in the deaths of comic actor Phil Hartman and his wife, Brynn, the link between celebrity and drugs has once again surfaced. Police say Brynn Hartman, reportedly suffering from a long-term cocaine abuse problem, killed her husband and then herself last Thursday morning in their Encino home.
Some industry observers said the incident indicates Hollywood hasn't shaken its old habits. Rather, like the rest of American society, it has simply transferred them from the hedonistic party scene of 15 and 20 years ago to a more private, socially acceptable -- or at least invisible -- environment.
``Where drug use persists, the problem is really the same problem, whether the drugs are being consumed and enjoyed in a nightclub, or whether they're being consumed in Encino,'' said Charles Fleming, author of ``High Concept,'' a just-published account of the fast times and rapid downfall of the late Hollywood mogul Don Simpson.
Substance abuse remains common, according to therapists who treat celebrities with addictions. And while such highly publicized deaths as those of Belushi and Phoenix have brought more attention to drug abuse, it also has driven addicts into hiding, making treatment more difficult.
``They didn't clean up their act -- drug usewent underground,'' said Carolyn Perry, owner of the Tri City Institute, a methadone clinic frequented by many entertainers.
Hollywood isn't serious about stamping out drug abuse, said Dr. Drew Pinsky, director of chemical dependency at Las Encinas Medical Center in nearby Pasadena. ``It's a lot of posturing,'' he said.
Law enforcement officials say drug abuse among celebrities is indicative of the larger society's widespread addictions. The only difference, they say, is that the rich and famous have more cash to satisfy their illegal appetites.
``It's a peculiarity of the industry that a certain kind of person at a certain level of power can design a life that is free of most of the negative consequences of drug abuse,'' Fleming said. ``They can afford a staff, they can afford assistants. They're sometimes allowed to go farther in their abusive lifestyles.
``Unfortunately, these performers are surrounded by people who, as long as they're doing their work, support them in everything else.''
