10 Musicians Who Ruined Their Own Lives

10 Musicians Who Ruined Their Own Lives

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most famous musicians who saw their careers tarnished by immoral decisions and scandals.

CeeLo Green

A once-popular R&B singer, CeeLo Green found success both in groups and as a solo artist. His biggest songs are “Crazy,” with Danger Mouse (which was released under their duo name Gnarls Barkley) and, of course, his solo #2 single “Forget You.” But shortly after that song was released, Green was accused of sexual battery and was investigated by the LAPD. He was later sentenced to three years probation and community service after pleading no contest to furnishing a hallucinogen. His image in the public eye took an even worse downturn when Green made some controversial remarks on Twitter regarding the former of his cases and the general issue of sexual assault. And that was pretty much it for CeeLo Green’s career, as none of his solo singles since “Forget You” have even charted.

Tory Lanez

Canadian rapper Tory Lanez was on the come-up in the mid 2010s. A number of his albums reached the top five in America and his single “Luv” received a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Song. But then came the night of July 12, 2020. Lanez and Megan Thee Stallion were reportedly attending a house party when Lanez shot her in the foot. He publicly denied the claims but was charged the following October with a number of felonies related to the possession of a firearm. He was later found guilty on three charges and sent to prison for ten years. While he’ll be free early next decade, something tells us that his career will not be able to bounce back.

Pete Doherty

The world underwent a garage rock revival in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, spearheaded by bands like The Strokes and The Libertines. The latter saw great success in the United Kingdom with their self-titled album, which reached #1 and spawned the hit single “Can’t Stand Me Now.” Just as they were finding success, though, frontman Pete Doherty was kicked out due to his substance use disorder. Eventually, co-frontman Carl Barât became unwilling to continue without Doherty, and the band was dissolved at the height of their fame in 2004. Unfortunately, this lightning in a bottle isn’t something you can capture twice. Fortunately, Doherty announced that he has refrained from substance use since late 2019, so there’s some good news to be found!

Azealia Banks

While she never found enormous commercial success, Azealia Banks was someone to watch in the early 2010s. Her debut single “212” was a modest success in the UK, but far more important was its critical appreciation. “212” was met with immediate acclaim and is now heralded as one of the best songs of the decade. But Banks disappeared as soon as she arrived, with “212” being her only top twenty song due to a slew of harmful opinions. The singer has long been criticized for her use of social media, often using Twitter, since rebranded to X, to beef with other celebrities and espouse racist, homophobic, xenophobic, and transphobic remarks. It’s a lot of -phobics, and they effectively derailed Banks’s once-promising career.

Kanye West

There was a time when Kanye West was considered a genius. That time was in the 2000s and early 2010s, when the rapper was dropping GOAT albums like “Late Registration” and “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”. And while Ye has always been a contentious celebrity, things have gone from enjoyably bonkers to genuinely troubling in recent years. He has expressed a number of disturbing opinions, like claiming that human subjugation is a choice and praising Adolf Hitler. West also made a number of antisemitic remarks in 2022, resulting in a flurry of lost business deals and briefly terminated Twitter account. These outspoken beliefs, coupled with some disappointing albums like “Donda”, have seriously tainted Ye’s life and legacy.

Marilyn Manson

For a time in the 1990s, Marilyn Manson was considered a negative influence on America’s youth, with his lyrics even being studied in congressional hearings. But most people saw through the act and regarded his behavior as performative art. Despite the controversy, Manson continued to sell records and topped the charts well into the 2000s. However, he was properly canceled in the early 2020s when several women, including his ex-fiancée Evan Rachel Wood, accused him of sexual and psychological abuse. Despite a career full of contention and critical prodding, it was these accusations that put Manson away for good – maybe not behind bars, but certainly in the eyes of the public.

6ix9ine

You may know Daniel Hernandez better as 6ix9ine, the rainbow-haired, face-tatted artist behind songs like “Gummo” and “Fefe.” But he is equally known for his criminal behavior and celebrity feuds. In 2015, 6ix9ine pled guilty to a nasty felony involving a minor and was arrested again three years later on charges of racketeering among other things. He testified against other members of a street gang he was part of, resulting in a reduced sentence of just two years. After being released from prison in April of 2020, he saw a brief resurgence with his Nicki Minaj collab, “Trollz.” However, 6ix9ine has largely been unable to capture his pre-prison glory since then. He has also been ostracized from the hip hop community, making a potential comeback even more unlikely.

Gary Glitter

Once a glam rock icon, Gary Glitter turned heads with his dazzling public image and stage presence, which often involved large platform boots and glitter suits. But even those who don’t know a thing about Gary Glitter have heard some of his most famous songs, “Another Rock and Roll Christmas” and “Rock and Roll Part 2.” This astonishing career came to an abrupt end in the late 1990s, however, when Glitter was arrested for downloading some highly illegal material. While he was only sentenced to four months in prison, the scandal was enough to permanently tarnish his life and reputation. Glitter faced further charges of sexual misconduct in the 2010s, resulting in a prison sentence of sixteen years.

R. Kelly

Once heralded as The King of R&B, R. Kelly has sold over 75 million records and won three Grammys for his megahit “I Believe I Can Fly.” While Kelly was embroiled in a famous legal battle throughout the 2000s, he was eventually acquitted and his name was cleared. It remained clear until 2019, when the Lifetime documentary “Surviving R. Kelly” made numerous sexual abuse claims against him. He was indicted on 18 charges that July, most of which we can’t get into here. This eventually led to a prison sentence of 31 years. He ruined both his life and career, and we won’t be seeing him again until 2045 at the earliest.

Phil Spector

While not a musician per se, Phil Spector was an extremely successful songwriter and record producer. He wrote The Teddy Bears’s #1 single “To Know Him Is to Love Him” and later revolutionized the music industry with his production techniques, including the famous “Wall of Sound.” Having worked with the likes of The Beatles, Leonard Cohen, and the Ramones, Spector was a highly regarded figure in the music industry. However, he later developed a substance use disorder and entered an extended period of seclusion in the early 1980s. He re-emerged into the public consciousness in 2003 after the murder of a woman named Lana Clarkson. Spector was found guilty and sentenced to prison, where he died in 2021.

Do you expect to see any of these musicians bounce back? Let us know in the comments.