Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler, a poster boy for rock ‘n’ roll decadence in the 1970s, has entered a Los Angeles rehab facility after two decades as a passionate advocate of sobriety, according to an report.
The Web site TMZ.com reported on Wednesday the 60-year-old rocker sought treatment for an unspecified substance abuse problem at Aurora Las Encinas Hospital. The Pasadena clinic’s physicians include high-profile addiction medicine specialist Drew Pinsky.
A publicist for Aerosmith said she did not know about the report.
Earlier this month, Tyler performed at a concert in Hollywood to raise money for a charity that helps addicts in the music industry. He has long drawn on his own death-defying experiences to counsel people dealing with the disease.
Tyler and his bandmates raised the bar for rock ‘n’ roll excess during the ’70s — an era not known for its self-restraint — while they rocked the charts with such songs as “Walk this Way” and “Back in the Saddle.” He and guitarist Joe Perry, the band’s creative forces, were dubbed the “Toxic Twins.”
After self-destructing by the end of the decade, and enduring a few years in the wilderness, the band slowly launched a hugely successful comeback, with a carefully structured drug-free environment in place.
