TORONTO — Former teen idol Leif Garrett has weighed in on the tragic death of Canadian actor Cory Monteith and the headline-making antics of Canadian pop star Justin Bieber.
A successful singer and actor in the ’70s and early ’80s, Garrett battled alcohol and drug addiction — including heroin.
“It’s a tough one to beat. It takes your soul. It’s your lover. It’s your food,” he told Fox News. “I looked, like, crappy, but I was doing work just to get money to pay for it. I’ve been lucky. There’s a reason I’m here on this planet.”
Monteith died July 13 in Vancouver of a heroin and alcohol overdose.
Garrett, now 51, also offered advice to Bieber.
“Do not believe your own publicity. Sussing out who your real friends are is full-time work,” he said. “Every scum bag, every drug dealer, every chicken hawk wants a piece of you.
“When you’ve got that sort of power at that young age, and everything at your doorstep, you put out that bad boy image. At that age, testosterone, hormones, all of the money, you see what else you can get away with.”
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