Many celebrities have battled addiction, particularly in the music industry. Rockstar Alice Cooper once struggled with alcohol, but has valiantly maintained his sobriety since the early 1980s.
Today, Alice Cooper is 78 and still proudly maintains his drug and alcohol-free lifestyle. He credits Hollywood legend, Dick Van Dyke, with helping him get on the right track.
Though the men had never met in person, Dick Van Dyke generously gave Alice Cooper advice that would change his life forever.
Alice Cooper Recalls Asking Dick Van Dyke For Help With His Addiction
Like many world-renowned musicians, Alice Cooper struggled with addiction throughout his career. But everything changed in 1983 when he embarked down the path to recovery and sobriety, as reported by Parade.
“I read that Dick Van Dyke had gone through this kind of thing, and I actually called him,” the musician remembered in an interview, noting that he had never actually met the actor before.
Alice Cooper explained that Dick Van Dyke was in the middle of taping at the Carol Burnett studio at the time. Even so, he readily picked up the rockstar’s call.
“I told him what it was regarding and said, ‘I want to know what to do. I don’t know what to do. Nobody around me has any idea what to do because they’ve never been in this situation. I understand that it’s an alcoholic’s responsibility to talk to another alcoholic and help him,'” Cooper recalled his plea for help.
“He told me exactly: ‘If you’re going to go to a place, don’t wait till tomorrow. Don’t wait. You go right now.’ And I did. I packed up and left, went to the hospital, and that’s what you have to do. You have to make the decision,” he revealed.
Dick Van Dyke Bravely Spoke Up For Those Battling Addiction
Though Dick Van Dyke is known for being a beacon of joy and wonder, he’s also struggled with his own personal demons. In 1974, he appeared on “The Dick Cavett Show” and bravely opened up about his battle against alcoholism.
“It’s a physical disease,” the “Mary Poppins” actor said at the time. “It has nothing to do with the person not being mature enough not to drink too much. It’s a true addiction, like a heroin addiction.”
Dick Van Dyke also managed to conquer his battle with addiction and is 100 today.
Today, Alice Cooper is still a rock-and-roll icon. But he still adamantly maintains his sobriety.
“You don’t have to be drunk to be punk,” he told PEOPLE in 2025. Cooper added that he never wants to try any alcohol or drug for the rest of his life.
Thankfully, most people are incredibly respectful of his sobriety journey. Alice Cooper emphasized that rock-and-roll is an attitude and has nothing to do with how inebriated a person can become.
“I’ve never once had anybody come up to me and go, ‘Wow, what a wimp,'” he told PEOPLE. “You don’t have to be drunk or high to be a rocker, you know. It’s just an attitude.”
