We often forget that celebrities are nothing more than just famous versions of ourselves. Like the rest of us, they too, have a rough day from time to time, we just rarely see them at their lowest moments. Well, the people in the following stories weren't as lucky, and have some rather depressing tales to tell.
(Content has been edited for clarity.)
Robin Williams Was A Sad Sight For This Fan
“I once saw Robin Williams in a bar in downtown Toronto. He was hammered and incoherent. My girlfriend and I tried to speak to him but only slurs and spit bubbles came out of his mouth when he tried to talk. He fell on the dance floor twice and looked like he was ready to pass out. To see my childhood hero in such a mess made me sad.”
Peter Mayhew Just Wanted To Go Home
“I organized a good sized comic convention, so I’ve worked with quite a few celebrities. But the saddest was subtle.
Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), was in the green room for lunch on the second day. He looked tired and was almost totally wheelchair bound because of his terrible joint problems. I was sitting across from him while we ate and his assistant asked if his hand was feeling alright to sign more autographs.
He closed his eyes and nodded his head and whispered, ‘How much longer will this go today?’
To which his assistant delicately replied, ‘Just five more hours.’
He whimpered a little and shed a few tears as they wheeled him away from the table and back out to the fans.
The saddest part is that he was the nicest guy and never denied a fan while he was at the convention, and always smiled, even though he was in loads of pain.”
A Sad Foreshadowing
“It was 1993, at the Wetlands bar (hippie central) in NYC. River Phoenix’s band was playing, and he was clearly tripping balls. Sample between-song banter: smooshes crappy woolen hat around on his head silently for 30 seconds, then, ‘This is called a Lou hat…it’s called that…because Lou makes them…ok?’
Show thankfully ends, he wanders offstage and is standing by me, vaguely looking off into the distance.
Me: ‘Jesus, man, how many hits are you on?’
Him: ‘Hits? What’s that?’
Me: ‘Acid, dude. I’m impressed you were able to play at all.’
Him: ‘Aw, no, man, I’m sober.’
A few months later, he’s dead on an LA sidewalk from a speedball overdose.”
Toby Keith: Not So Much Of A Patriot After All
“I was in the Marine Corps and deployed to Iraq for the majority of the year in 2006, in the Al Anbar province. I was on my second deployment and had never had a USO visit or celebrity meeting because they usually don’t like to get out to the nasty parts of the country.
We ended up getting Toby Keith coming to where our Battalion HQ was located. The day of the visit, a lot of the patrols got rerouted to the base he was going to fly into, which was joint Marines/Navy.
The people who actually wanted to meet him or get an autograph were all waiting. I was assigned to help direct the entourage from the helipad when it came in. We had an hour once he landed and I could hear my company XO trying to get it organized so that everyone could meet him, shake his hand, and get an autograph. Then one of the Navy higher-ups asked if Toby Keith wanted to go for a ride on the lake in a small unit riverine craft boat, and he said sure. So all of the sudden, the XO got told to group everyone in groups of five, and they made an assembly line where Toby got in the middle for one picture, then on to the next group. He didn’t meet a single person, didn’t shake a hand, and didn’t sign anything.
He spent 30 minutes of his hour riding a boat with field-grade officers, then left.
While I was angry with the leadership of the Navy for deciding to spend half his trip on a boat ride with maybe 10 service members while the rest just went back to what they were doing, I was and still am far more livid at Toby Keith.
That piece of crap has made millions with that stupid ‘Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue’ song, and profits with how much he supports the military, but when it came down to it, he decided to accept a boat ride invitation instead of spending any time at all with the enlisted guys in the combat zone.”
Daniel Radcliffe Made A Surprise Appearance
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“I met Daniel Radcliffe in a bar in Toronto after the final ‘Harry Potter’ movie. He was in production for ‘The Woman in Black.’ It was a small bar, so when he showed up with his personal assistant, people didn’t believe it. He made no entrance of any kind; he just showed up out of nowhere. He was hanging by the bar and people were watching him out of the corner of their eyes, but no one was engaging him. I got a drink, and as I paid, I turned and asked if he was Daniel Radcliffe.
He looked sullen, as he was sitting at the bar, with massive bags under bloodshot eyes, but as soon as I started talking to him, he brightened up quite a bit. He introduced himself as Dan, and we talked for an easy ten minutes. He was a very down to earth guy, and he was very open. I told him that I hadn’t read any of the ‘Potter’ novels, but that I loved all the movies, and he said that was the nicest compliment I could give him. He then confided that he was a little concerned about his career now that ‘Harry Potter’ was done, and I tried to reassure him that he would be fine, that his fans wanted to see him do more and he seemed to appreciate that. After that, he hung around with everyone at the bar and stayed until closing. He got hammered, but was friendly and well behaved the whole time, even when idiots started making fun of his accent.
What made the encounter sad was that he looked haggard. He was drinking hard back then, and while he was still able to converse, if you looked into his eyes, you could tell he was bombed out of his mind. Celebrity at such a young age must wreak havoc on a kid. I was glad to hear he sobered up, and I wish him well.”
One Fan Had A “Heartbreaking” Encounter With Muhammed Ali
“When I worked at a restaurant in Florida a few years ago, Muhammed Ali and his family came in to eat. Me being a fanboy and knowing who Ali was, I kept staring from a distance, and eventually ran next door to Books A Million to buy his biography, ‘King of the World,’ and have him sign it.
As he was leaving, I stood and held the door open for them.
His wife was helping him out of the door. He was looking at the ground. No speaking. Slow walking. Shaking from the Parkinson’s.
He got to the car, and his wife was helping him in. I asked her if I could meet him and have him take a photo and an autograph.
She was delighted and said sure. ‘Cassius, this young man would like to meet you,’ she said. I held out my hand and shook the hand of the greatest boxer to ever live. The hand that knocked out Fraiser. That mighty right hook.
I immediately started crying. She said, ‘Don’t cry, it’s okay!’ I had to explain that it’s surreal to meet the famous ‘Ali.’
She handed him the book and the sharpie and said, ‘Cassius, he wants your autograph,’ as she opened the book for him and put the pen in his hand. He took at least two minutes to sign his name. And it was at that point that it killed me. This was Cassius Clay; Muhammad Ali, the most charismatic, float like a butterfly sting like a bee man in boxing history, and he was such a shell of his former self because of the Parkinson’s. It was heartbreaking.”
It’s Sad How Awful Some Celebs Can Be
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“Gene Simmons is a prick. My dad ran into him in some bar in Baltimore in the very late ’70s after a show. My dad wasn’t a huge KISS fan but appreciated their music and told Gene something along the lines of ‘Awesome concert, thanks for the show.’ Gene looked at my dad and then promptly replied, ‘I hope the next time you’re kissing butt to impress someone, you pucker more’ and then walked off. My dad was ticked and went to tell his two friends he was with it was time to go, and the bartender stopped them on the way out. Apparently, Gene and his entourage told the bartender my dad was paying for their drinks and left already. Cost my dad almost a hundred bucks for the tab they ditched him with paying. So growing up every time something with KISS came on, my dad would relate this story and rant about how Gene Simmons can suck it and go die somewhere.”
He Met Billy Mays About A Month Before He Died
“I met Billy Mays in Las Vegas, maybe a month before his death. He was just walking around the casino with photos of himself and a Sharpie asking if people wanted autographs. I don’t think there was a real reason why he was there. He looked wasted.
Poor guy. He didn’t appear happy.”
Betty White Didn’t Look Too Golden On This Day
“I was at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles and saw a poster promoting Betty White signing her latest book about how much she loved animals. I liked ‘The Golden Girls,’ so I thought I would swing by the bookstore to take a gander at Betty White. It was sad. I’ll always remember she was sitting alone at a big table with a stack of books in front of her. People were in the bookstore shopping, but no one was buying her book or acknowledging her. She just sat there, pen in hand, waiting. She would occasionally wipe off some imaginary dust to look busy. Of course, I was such a self-involved college kid that I just stared at her from far away. I should have just gone up and talked to her.”
Whitney Was A Sweetheart…Until Bobby Showed Up
“Back when I was 17 or so, I used to supervise this carwash in Alpharetta, Ga. It was right down the road from one of the most affluent neighborhoods in Georgia, so we had our fair share of celebrities and athletes coming through to get their cars detailed/washed.
One of our regulars was Whitney Houston. She would come in once a month and get her Porsche washed or detailed. She was always pleasant, albeit eccentric.
One day she came in with her husband, Bobby Brown. Now, over the past few months, I had gotten to be on a first-name basis with Whitney. This particular day, I had worked up the courage to finally ask her for a picture on my new LG flip camera phone. She said sure, and we started to take the picture.
That’s when Bobby Brown freaked out. ‘What the EFF do you think you’re doing? No photos.’
I didn’t even try to explain and Whitney looked incredibly embarrassed. They got in the car and started to drive away when he screamed, ‘Hey bro!’ When I turned around, he threw a towel in my face and she drove off. He was arrested two days later after someone saw him in a restaurant. Apparently, he was under house arrest.”
Richard Dawkins Wasn’t A Fan Of This Question
“I became interested in evolution and physical anthropology in high school after exploring the topic in books and discovered Richard Dawkins. I was in the process of reading one of his recent books when I found out he was holding a signing in my city. So I went to his talk and waited in line to get an autograph.
All through the Q&A session, people had great complex questions for him about his theories and ideas on evolution or certain species. I thought I would be clever and ask a simple and fun question. So in the cover of the book, I wrote, ‘What is your favorite animal?’ I expected this to be refreshing when he went to sign my book.
I got to the front, and as he opened my book to sign it, he was a little thrown off. He gave me a look like I was mentally impaired and just signed his name.
I was crushed and felt embarrassed that my idol thought I was stupid. I wandered off through the racks of books and found a small group of five people huddled around one man speaking.
I was curious, and still trying to forget my last encounter, so I listened to this energetic man speak about the universe to this impromptu gathering. He was knowledgeable and interactive. When I got a chance, I asked him the same question, ‘What’s your favorite animal?’ He was happy with the question and went on a long explanation of why the wolf was his favorite and when he first encountered one in Yellowstone.
I learned later that man was Neil Degrasse Tyson. What a day.”
I Could Have Sworn That Was Joe Montana
“I used to run a candy store in the town where Joe Montana lived. He came in one day with his wife in the early afternoon. A construction worker from across the street walked over and came in. He walked up to Joe and said, ‘My family had a lot of issues while I was growing up, but I wanted to tell you that we always sat down on Sunday and watched you play for the Niners. I just wanted to thank you for those memories.’
Montana turned to him and said, ‘Sorry buddy, you’ve got the wrong guy.’ The man apologized, looked confused, and left. I knew it was him just from recognition, and his build/height, but said nothing figuring maybe he was similar looking.
His wife used her credit card to pay for the trip, and I checked her ID. Sure enough, Jennifer Montana.
I mean, it’s one thing if it’s a 40-year-old dude trying to get a football signed to sell it on eBay, but this guy didn’t ask for a picture, an autograph, nothing. I was pretty disappointed.”
Maybe Woody Wasn’t So Friendly After All
“A friend of mine used to work security at one of the big casinos on the Las Vegas Strip. That is until Woody Harrelson got him fired. I think Woody has since sobered up, but he had a drinking problem at the time. He was staying in one of the high rise rooms of the casino and threw a cake from his balcony. My friend went to the room, where Woody was wasted and naked with a bunch of companions in his room. My friend told him he needed to get his act together and not throw things into the hotel lobby from up on high. Woody tried to attack him while shouting and making a scene. Woody complained to my friend’s boss that he was harassing him and got my friend fired. To this day, my friend, who has worked security his whole life, said it was one of the worst encounters he has ever had with anyone, let alone a celebrity, and was the only time he was fired from a job. All because Woody Harrelson was an absolute jerk, but famous.”
Evel Knievel Taught This Young Fan A Lesson He’d Never Forget
“I was a kid in the ’70s and like every little boy, I thought Evel Knievel was my hero. When I was about 7 years old, I was at the airport with my mom and her boyfriend and a friend of mine. My mother’s boyfriend told us that Evel was in one of the lounges. He was sitting in a back corner, drinking a glass of some kind of beverage and engulfed in a cloud of smoke.
We both approached him excitedly and asked for his autograph. He was obviously wasted, but he picked up a couple of napkins and scratched out his signature on both of them. Then he looked at us and said, ‘Before I give you these, I’m going to teach you something.’ My friend and I looked at each other, totally starstruck and grinning like idiots.
Evel proceeded to tap both of us on the arm. ‘Does that hurt?’ he asked. We both shook our heads and said no. Then he poked us lightly in the chest, ‘Does that hurt?’ Again, we both said no. Then he made fists out of both hands with the middle knuckle sticking out and brought them down sharply and simultaneously, protruding knuckle first, onto both of our heads. ‘Does that hurt?’ he asked. Neither of us could answer; I was holding back tears from the pain. He waited a few seconds and said, ‘That’s why you wear a safety helmet,’ and handed us the napkins.”
This Guy Has Seen His Fair Share Of Depressing Encounters
“I worked in the music industry for awhile at a casino venue. So many sad scenes and the tail end of careers.
To summarize a few:
-When Diana Ross got out of rehab, she showed up backstage nearly two hours late, forgot her lyrics, and was later found naked in the hotel elevator in the middle of the night. She flew out and got arrested when she landed in New Jersey for something unrelated.
-Dolly Parton needed a teleprompter.
-Kenny Chesney’s crew opened the back of the transport and dumped a huge bin of all his fan mail into the garbage.
-The lead singer of Styx tried to do a running knee slide on our gripped stage. He faceplanted hard.
-Sheila E (world famous drummer) refused to take off her sunglasses and proceeded to step on a cable trough and sprained her ankle. She tried to blame the crew.”
Steve-O Couldn’t Escape His Past
“I saw Steve-O on one of his stand up tours. After his show, he said he would meet everybody there. We waited in line, and he was being nice, laughing and taking pictures with everyone. Right before we got to the stage some fat, redneck jerk told him that he was funnier before he got sober. It killed his whole vibe. When we got to him, he took a picture with us and said thanks for coming, but he was clearly in a bad mood. I don’t blame him at all; he was still extremely nice, but he was irritated. It was cool that he still met us and took a picture with us though. He seemed like a cool dude.”
Kanye West Being, Well, Kanye West
“I saw Kanye West at a grocery store in Los Angeles one day. I told him how cool it was to meet him in person, but I didn’t want to be annoying and bother him and ask him for photos or anything.
He said, ‘Oh, like you’re doing now?’
I was taken aback, and all I could say was ‘Huh?’
But he kept cutting me off and going, ‘Huh? Huh? Huh?’ and closing his hand shut in front of my face. I walked away and continued with my shopping and I heard him chuckle as I walked off. When I came to pay for my stuff up front, I saw him trying to walk out the doors with 15 Milky Ways in his hands without paying.
The girl at the counter was nice about it and professional and was like, ‘Sir, you need to pay for those first.’ At first he kept pretending to be tired and not hear her, but eventually turned back around and brought them to the counter.
When she took one of the bars and started scanning it multiple times, he stopped her and told her to scan them each individually to prevent any ‘electrical infetterence (his words),’ and then turned around and winked at me. I don’t even think that’s a word. After she scanned each bar and put them in a bag and started to say the price, he kept interrupting her by loudly yawning.”
Is That Sean Astin?
“I’m not really into movie stars, but can get just as excited as anyone else when I meet someone famous.
Several years ago, I was at an Islanders game when every stoppage of play, people were walking up to someone and taking pictures with them. My buddy asked me who it was, and I said I had no idea. The person behind me said it was Sean Astin from ‘The Lord of the Rings’ movies. It looked like he had lost a ton of weight, but seemed to be him, so I went over and asked to take a picture with him the next stoppage of play.
He was a cool guy. I told him how I grew up with the LOTR books as a child and loved the movies. I told him that ‘Goonies’ was my favorite movie as a child and how I still cry at the end of ‘Rudy.’ He was a good sport about it and kept telling me how great those movies were. I got home and I was showing my (then) girlfriend the pictures, and she cracked up. I didn’t get pictures with Sean Astin; I got pictures with Kevin Connolly from ‘Entourage’ – a show I have still never seen. Apparently, he’s a huge Islanders fan.
The poor guy listened to me ramble on and on about Sean Astin’s movies for two minutes and didn’t have the heart to tell me I had the wrong guy.”