Yesterday's Internet rags were all abuzz with the news that young Zac Efron, the Disney darling turn semi-serious actor, had spent a few quiet months taking care of himself in a rehab clinic. At first the rumor mill said the 25-year old checked in for help with a drinking problem but it was later reported by reputable source, TMZ, that Efron had a hankering for the white stuff that you snort up your nose. TMZ also cited that Efron had gone wild during some drug-fueled coke party.
"We're told ... early this year, Zac and some friends went on a coke rager in a room at the SkyLofts at the MGM Grand in Vegas ... and caused around $50,000 in damage. No word on who took care of the bill," said TMZ.
Celebrities go in and out of rehab all the time; Lindsay Lohan probably has her own suite at the Betty Ford Clinic, so Efron's short stint shouldn't make massive waves. Why all the fuss? I think what's more interesting about Efron going into rehab five months ago is that the Internet is just finding out now. How dare he not alert us or one of our sources earlier of his personal drama? Secretly going to rehab without making a statement is not OK, Zac Efron. The other shocking element to this story is that he just doesn't seem like a rehab kind of guy. Since his break up with Vanessa Hudgens, he has really stayed out of the spotlight, which is refreshing for a young ex-Disney star.
It got me thinking about all of the other celebrities over the years that have battled some demons, and there have been many. I bet you would be shocked by a few of them, as I know I was.
5. Bela Lugosi The OG Dracula allegedly didn't get high off of blood. Potentially due to his service with the military, Lugosi developed prolonged nerve discomfort, which led to an addiction to pain killers. Apparently his addiction was so rampant that several producers thought he had died while he was still very much alive. About the time that he started working with director Ed Wood, Lugosi was so down and out from drugs he checked himself into rehab.
4. Jason Priestley I can count the amount of times that Brandon Walsh altered his brain on one hand, and I know that series like I know 1st Grade Math. The first time involved a little soiree at the Walsh house ending in a drunk Brandon getting behind the wheel and crashing. It is only appropriate then that Priestley was also arrested for drunk driving in 1999 and forced to go into an alcohol abuse treatment program. Life imitating art imitating life, man.
3. Leonard Nimoy Leonard Nimoy famously known as Spock the anti-emotional, supremely commonsensical Vulcan on the original Star Trek has credited his time on the Starship Enterprise with causing him to pick up the drink. It's understandable when all you have to do is put a glass under a machine and request "martini, dry, twist" and by futuristic magic your cocktail of choice appears, or maybe it was all the fault of the tribbles. He kicked the habit by checking himself into a rehab facility and returned to a life that was a little more "logical."
2. Nell Carter Gimme a break, you too Nell Carter? In the early '80s at the height of her fame, Carter developed a hankering for cocaine which eventually turned into a $1,000 to $2,000 a day habit. After hitting the bottom of her barrel, she finally kicked her addiction through the help of good friend Liza Minella, and rehab of course. She is quoted with saying, "Thank God I got help. God and Liza Minnelli." God and Liza Minnelli - truer words were never spoken.
1.Dick Van DykeThis might be easier if intoxicated. Van Dyke will forever be etched into our culture as a "good guy." With his nice sense of humor, his clean brand of comedy and the fact that he played Bert in Mary Poppins, Van Dyke is an American icon. He also just happened to be drunk for "15 years" according to his biography that was released in 2011. I guess it was a jolly holiday until it wasn't so jolly anymore.
