All The Tragedies That Haunted Steven Tyler’s Life

Few rock bands hit harder or soared higher than Boston legends Aerosmith. With Joe Perry slinging riffs, Brad Whitford on rhythm guitar, Tom Hamilton on bass, Joey Kramer on drums, and Steven Tyler bringing the glam and grit as their fearless, scarf-wrapped frontman, they tore through the ’70s with hits like “Dream On,” “Sweet Emotion,” and “Walk This Way.” Tyler’s voice was unmistakable, and his stage presence? Pure fire.

But by the end of that decade, the band was falling apart. Drug abuse and backstage brawls had them labeled as has-beens. Then came a comeback for the ages. The late ’80s brought a recharged Aerosmith, ready to conquer the charts again with “Janie’s Got a Gun,” “Love in an Elevator,” and the epic Run DMC collaboration that reimagined “Walk This Way.”

Still, behind the fame was a darker tale. Aerosmith’s wild success came with plenty of pain—especially for Steven Tyler. What followed was a lifetime of health battles, heartbreak, and hard-won recovery.

Steven Tyler’s First Run-In With the Law Came at 16 Over Marijuana

One of the lesser-known stories about Steven Tyler’s wild youth involves a run-in with the law at just 16 years old. Back in 1967, Tyler and a buddy were big fans of marijuana and came up with a plan to fund their habit. They bought an ounce of weed for $20, split it into six “nickel bags,” sold four, and kept two for themselves.

It all seemed smooth—until Tyler’s mom called to say the police were at their house. “Uh-oh, they found my stash so cunningly concealed in a copy of The Hardy Boys and the Disappearing Floor,” he wrote in his autobiography Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? She ordered him home, and as he pulled into the driveway, he saw an unmarked car roll up. “My heart fell out of my ass,” he recalled. “The cops handcuffed me and walked me to the car…”

In the end, Tyler avoided jail and got probation. The upside? The four misdemeanors gave him a Youthful Offender status—meaning, as he put it, “So no f***ing Vietnam for me.”

A Cherry Bomb and a Flying Bottle Nearly Cost Steven Tyler His Sight

Not all of Steven Tyler’s memories of Philadelphia are good ones — especially the night in 1977 when a fan tossed an M-80 onstage. Aerosmith had just returned for their encore when the explosive went off. “I was going up the stairs right behind Steven and [guitarist] Joe [Perry], and I felt the concussion of the cherry bomb going off,” guitarist Brad Whitford told Goldmine (via Ultimate Classic Rock). “Steven immediately covered his face and there was blood shooting up out of Joe’s arm, literally.” The blast burned Tyler’s cornea, but thankfully, it healed.

Still, the band returned to Philly the next year. Big mistake. About 20 minutes into the show, someone hurled a glass bottle that smashed right in front of them. “It hit the stage dead center, right in front of the monitor, and exploded, sending shards of glass into Steven’s face,” Whitford recalled in their autobiography Walk This Way. “I think some glass went right through his mouth.” Tyler, ever the performer, wanted to keep going — but the rest of the band made a quick exit instead.

He Spent Millions on Drugs and Nearly Didn’t Survive It

As Aerosmith soared to fame in the 1970s, Steven Tyler’s drug use hit equally sky-high levels. Alongside guitarist Joe Perry, the duo earned the nickname “the Toxic Twins” — and for good reason. “Well I remember one show where we got three songs in and Steven lost consciousness for one reason or another,” bassist Tom Hamilton told NME. Tyler admitted, “We just got high back then. It was a way of life.”

In an interview with Classic Rock, Tyler painted a wild picture of just how much cocaine he once consumed: “A swimming pool filled to the top with blow would be about right.” He’s estimated that he blew through more than $5 million on cocaine, and that habit nearly cost him everything — including his life.

Years later, sober and reflective, Tyler told GQ in 2019, “What happens with using is: It works in the beginning, but it doesn’t work in the end. It takes you down. There’s nothing but jail, insanity, or death.”

Steven Tyler’s Stage Fall Sent Him to the Hospital and Halted a Tour

In 2009, what started as a high-energy Aerosmith concert in Sturgis, South Dakota, ended in chaos when Steven Tyler slipped and tumbled right off the stage. Some fans thought it was all part of the show — until it became clear that Tyler wasn’t getting back up. The accident was so serious, he had to be airlifted to a nearby hospital.

Tyler’s injuries were no joke. He suffered a broken left shoulder and needed 20 stitches to close a nasty gash on his head. Doctors told him he had to rest, which led to the band canceling the rest of their summer tour. “Words can’t express the sadness I feel for having to cancel this tour,” Joe Perry said in a statement, according to The Washington Post. “I would like to thank our loyal fans for sticking by us through thick and thin and all the good energy they are sending our way.”

To make matters worse, Tyler had already been dealing with pneumonia and leg muscle issues before the fall.

He Quietly Battled Hepatitis C with Chemo

In 2006, Steven Tyler opened up about a health battle he had kept private for years — a diagnosis of hepatitis C. In an interview with Access Hollywood, he shared that he’d been living with the disease for a while but only began treatment about three years after his diagnosis. “I’ve been pretty quiet about this,” he admitted, according to Today.com.

Tyler explained the seriousness of his treatment: “I’ve had hepatitis C for a long time, asymptomatic. And I talked to my doctor … and he said now is the time and it’s 11 months of chemotherapy. So I went on that and it about killed me.” The grueling chemo regimen took a toll on him physically, but it worked.

Fortunately, the outcome was a positive one. Tyler shared the good news: “It is nonexistent in my bloodstream as we speak, so it’s one of those few miracles in doctoring where it’s like a complete cure. It’s gone.”

His Two Marriages Ended in Heartbreak

Steven Tyler has had a colorful love life, but only two official trips down the aisle — and both ended in divorce. His first marriage was to model and actress Cyrinda Foxe in 1979. They split in 1987, after what she later described as a painful and chaotic time. In her 1997 memoir Dream On: Livin’ on the Edge with Steven Tyler and Aerosmith, Foxe wrote, “Sometimes I break down and cry my eyes out over him … And sometimes I’m so consumed with loathing that I think I’m going to burst … I mean, he’s said publicly that when he was on drugs, he would f*** a crack in the sidewalk. For nine years of my life, that was my husband.” Despite their rocky past, Tyler paid for Foxe’s medical bills when she was battling terminal cancer before her death in 2002.

Tyler married Teresa Barrick in 1988, and they had two kids, Taj and Chelsea. That relationship also unraveled, with their 2005 divorce reportedly sparked by Barrick’s connection with a contractor doing home renovations. Tyler got engaged again in 2011 to longtime girlfriend Erin Brady, but they called it quits in 2013 before making it to the altar.

Tyler Faced Relapse and Rehab in His 60s

After more than two decades of sobriety, Steven Tyler relapsed in 2008 and checked himself into rehab at age 60. The cause? Painkillers prescribed after foot surgery. It was a tough moment for the Aerosmith frontman, who had worked hard to stay clean. Just a year later, he entered treatment again—this time at the Betty Ford Center in 2009. That stay seemed to help him turn things around, and he remained sober for over 10 years.

Still, addiction is a lifelong battle, and Tyler’s journey wasn’t over. With years of recovery under his belt, he developed a deeper understanding of the disease. “What makes me an alcoholic is not how much I drank or how often I used, or who I did any of that with,” he told Haute Living. “It’s what happens to me and who I become when I do, and I don’t like that guy.”

Tyler’s Hotel Fall Sparked Relapse Rumors—But He Had a Different Explanation

In 2011, Steven Tyler made headlines after a scary fall in a hotel bathroom while on tour in Paraguay. The accident left him with a bruised face, stitches, and a few missing teeth—fueling rumors that the Aerosmith frontman had relapsed yet again. Given his history with addiction and multiple trips to rehab, fans feared the worst.

But Tyler set the record straight during an interview on NBC’s Today. “It still bothers me a little, but it’s something that I have to deal with for the rest of my life,” he said, addressing the relapse rumors. As for the real cause of the fall? Not drugs, but food poisoning. “I took a walk with the Incas for 48 hours,” he joked. “I walked in looking like Baryshnikov, I walked out looking like Leon Spinks.”

Thankfully, he found a clinic that patched him up with stitches, some cosmetic work, and new teeth. “It was like one-stop shopping,” he added with a laugh.

Steven Tyler’s Painful Foot Condition Led Him to “American Idol”

One of Steven Tyler’s lesser-known struggles is a painful foot disorder called Morton’s neuroma—a condition that feels like constantly stepping on a rock. Years of high-energy stage performances and tight footwear likely caused it, leaving his toes twisted and aching. “My feet have been my best friend for the last 40 years. I’ve just been a dancing fool onstage, and after awhile you just kind of wear them out,” he shared with Billboard.

The pain was actually a big reason why Tyler took the judging gig on American Idol. “I took Idol and I don’t have to walk around on my poor, sore feet,” he explained. Plus, he enjoyed mentoring up-and-coming singers.

Although he only stuck around for two seasons before leaving in 2012, Tyler admitted the gig had its perks — and its downsides. “It’s not my cup of tea,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “I loved it and hated it. It was a great job. I sat next to JLo and I made a ton of money.” It also offered him a break from growing tensions in Aerosmith. “It was something to do while the storm blew by, to be honest,” he added.

Foot Surgery Triggered a 2022 Relapse and Return to Rehab

Years after his first foot surgery, Steven Tyler found himself back under the knife in 2022—and unfortunately, it came with familiar complications. At 74, Tyler became dependent on the pain meds prescribed to him post-surgery, which led to yet another relapse and a return to rehab.

The timing couldn’t have been worse. Aerosmith was gearing up for more “Deuces Are Wild” Las Vegas residency shows when the band had to cancel their June and July dates. In a now-deleted social media post (reported by CNN), they shared: “After foot surgery to prepare for the stage and the necessity of pain management during the process, he has recently relapsed and voluntarily entered a treatment program to concentrate on his health and recovery.”

Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience, Tyler got candid about his decision. “And I don’t want to push it again,” he said. “Because when I get that way, my kids don’t talk to me, I get a divorce, I’m thrown out of my own band … I lose everything. I mean, it’s happened enough times for me to finally realize, you know, it’s not worth it.”

A 2023 Tour Injury Left Steven Tyler’s Voice in Rough Shape

In September 2023, Aerosmith kicked off their long-awaited Peace Out: The Farewell Tour, but it didn’t take long for things to go sideways. Just three shows in, Steven Tyler suffered a severe vocal cord injury. At first, the damage seemed manageable—until doctors discovered something worse: he had also fractured his larynx. The band posted on Facebook, saying, “His doctor has confirmed that in addition to the damage to his vocal cords, he fractured his larynx which requires ongoing care,” and announced all remaining tour dates would be pushed to 2024.

By February 2024, Tyler gave fans a little hope during a Grammys viewing party, sharing, “My throat’s been better, but it is on the mend,” according to People. His daughter Mia added some humor to the update, admitting her dad’s not the easiest patient. “You can’t shut him up — he can’t close that mouth,” she joked, explaining that even when he’s not supposed to talk, he still uses voice dictation to text. Some things never change.

Vocal Injuries Forced Steven Tyler to Step Away from Touring

By August 2024, Steven Tyler was still struggling to recover from the serious vocal cord and larynx injuries he suffered the year before. Sadly, the updates weren’t encouraging. Aerosmith broke the news in an emotional Instagram post, sharing that Tyler had been putting in “months tirelessly working on getting his voice to where it was before his injury.” Despite having top-notch doctors, they admitted, “We’ve seen him struggling… it is clear, that a full recovery from his vocal injury is not possible.”

The result? Aerosmith officially called off their postponed tour — and more heartbreakingly, announced their retirement from the road. “We have made a heartbreaking and difficult, but necessary, decision — as a band of brothers — to retire from the touring stage,” the band wrote.

Longtime producer Jack Douglas told the New York Post that while the other members may continue in some way, Aerosmith wouldn’t be the same without Tyler. “There is no Aerosmith without Steven,” Douglas said. Still, he held out hope, adding, “If Steven can sing, believe me, he’ll want to be out there.”