Actors like Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Farley, and Philip Seymour Hoffman were known for more than their charm and chops. The men possessed everything from fame to fortune. While beautiful women and Oscar nods surrounded them, their personal lives were a poor parallel to the gilded screen. Heroin addiction plagued their entire beings, and, unlike the Midas touch, it robbed them blind.

Both Farley and Hoffman died from an overdose. During their final hours, they indulged in a stimulant/depressant concoction. The celebrities were different yet similar: the men struggled with weight, self-image, and illness. Hoffman relapsed after decades of sobriety, and Farley was a familiar face among detox and treatment centers. A Radar Online article reported, “In 2013, Philip Seymour Hoffman checked in for a 10 day detox after a relapse — snorting heroin.” Unfortunately, he passed away in early 2014. Years ago, in the ’90s, Farley’s untimely death also created headlines.

“Hollywood & Heroin: 28 Stars Who Used What Killed Corey Monteith” explains, “The Saturday Night Live star died of a drug overdose in his apartment in October of 1997. He was 33 years old.” Addiction’s an epidemic. Regardless of wealth and status, everyone’s at risk.

Fortunately, people can heal. Several stars saved their health and happiness through rehabilitation. Jackson, hailed for the iconic Pulp Fiction, conquered his own demons. A Radar Online representative wrote, “[The] star overdosed on heroin three times before he realised it was time to clean up. He checked into rehab in 1991, but not before putting his family through hell. ‘The third time I OD’d on heroin I quit the drug completely. It’s too dangerous,’ he told biographer Jeff Hudson. ‘I was mad. I was crazed. I was not happy with who I was.'”

In the early 20th century, Bayer marketed heroin. It was labelled non-addictive, and it combated coughs and morphine addiction. Crazy, right? Then again, opiates like oxycodone still reign supreme.