Cocaine became nearly synonymous with rock music during the 1970s, a period when its use skyrocketed, surpassing heroin for the first time. As highlighted in the Social History of the United States, this era saw the drug glamorized in American pop culture, often linked to wealth and celebrity status. A glance at the rock bands of that time, particularly Aerosmith, illustrates this association, with frontman Steven Tyler embodying the era’s excesses—especially when it came to his drug use.

In a 2013 interview with Australia’s 60 Minutes, Tyler candidly admitted to spending an estimated $5 to $6 million on cocaine throughout his life. “But it doesn’t matter,” he remarked, according to UPI. “You could also say I’ve snorted half of Peru. It’s what we did.” Fast forward to 2018, Tyler shared a similar sentiment on The Late Late Show with James Corden, though this time revising his spending estimate to “about $2 million,” still claiming he had “snorted half of Peru,” as reported by People.

During the 1970s, cocaine was not regarded with the same gravity as it is today. In his autobiography, Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?, Tyler recounted how doctors at the time referred to the drug as “habituating,” not truly addictive. “They didn’t know then that the drug would eventually take a sharp turn,” he wrote. “What was once the life of the party became something to be feared—a source of deception, secretive behavior, and endless lies.”

Escalating Drug Abuse

Tyler’s relationship with drugs began in his teens. In a 2012 interview with Oprah, he revealed his early attraction to drugs, saying, “They made me feel like a rock star before I was one. I thought that’s what rock stars did—fake it till you make it.” His addiction to cocaine intertwined with other substances, creating a vicious cycle that many addicts experience. “We would do cocaine to go up, quaaludes to come down,” Tyler explained in a 2019 interview with GQ. “We would drink and then snort some coke until we thought we were straight. But that’s not true—you’re just drunk and coked out.”

While Aerosmith toured globally, the band had a designated “drug” area onstage, hidden from the audience and reserved exclusively for the band members. Here, substances like cocaine and heroin were freely available, and Tyler and his bandmates would slip off during performances to indulge. “Drugs were just part of being in rock ‘n’ roll then,” Tyler wrote in his autobiography. “Nobody knew the downside of years of cocaine abuse, and we didn’t care. It was just the thing to do. Everybody laid it out for you, even the cops.” Tyler also recounted moments of extreme excess, including one instance where he and others wrote their names in cocaine before snorting their respective lines.

Multiple Rehab Stints

A life of extreme drug use inevitably brings severe risks, often exacerbated by the chaotic touring lifestyle. “It absolutely works for a while,” Tyler told GQ. “But then things go wrong. You become addicted; it’s something you do all the time, and suddenly it starts influencing your greatness.” Fortunately, Tyler had a support system that intervened.

Now 76, Tyler has taken significant steps to combat his substance abuse. He first entered rehab in 1988, pushed by his bandmates and management. In a 2019 interview with Haute Living, Tyler confessed that he was initially furious with them for staging the intervention but has since come to appreciate their actions. “[T]oday, because of that moment … I am grateful and owe a thanks to them for my sobriety,” he said. Tyler would go on to enter rehab three more times, with his most recent stint in May 2022 after a relapse triggered by pain medication. By late June, he had reportedly made significant progress, as confirmed by a representative for Aerosmith to People.

In August 2024, Aerosmith announced on X (formerly Twitter) that they would no longer perform live shows. The decision came after Tyler sustained severe vocal cord damage and a fractured larynx. “We’ve seen him struggling despite having the best medical team by his side,” the statement read. “Sadly, it is clear that a full recovery from his vocal injury is not possible.”