My Top 10 Favorite Troubled People
You know how sometimes you read about a celebrity having problems, and your heart feels like it’s being squeezed until it bleeds, even though you’ve never met the person and you know it’s ridiculous to care? There are some people who just make me feel immediate sympathy due to the combination of their mental health problems and their talent and that undefinable je ne sais quoi. I asked around the PW offices, and we came up with a list of our favorite famous people who have been, as they say, touched by fire.
Robert Downey Jr.
Amy Winehouse
Stephen Fry
Carrie Fisher
Margot Kidder
Chandler Bing
Mark Summers of Double Dare
Courtney Love
Chan Marshall, aka Cat Power
Natasha Lyonne
Honorable mentions: Britney Spears, Owen Wilson, Gary Busey
Who are your favorites?
liz | 10:32 AM | Uncategorized
Stephen Fry’s comedy partner Hugh Laurie
Whitney Houston, hands down! I will continue to love her despite all Bobby Brown related problems.
Kurt Cobain. Syd Barrett, the poor bugger. Ronnie O’Sullivan (The snooker player. OK, this means nothing to an American audience, does it?)
Definitely Hugh Laurie. Heath Ledger will always be special.
Hmm, I can’t agree wtih Courtney Love, she’s just too obnoxious for me.
I would add:
Elliot Smith
Heath Ledger (seemed to suffer from anxiety, although I don’t know if this was ever confirmed)
Jeff Tweedy
Tatum O’Neill
Hugh Laurie, Hugh Laurie, Hugh Laurie. 2nd Owen Wilson for Honorable Mention. #1 should be Carrie Fisher. After seeing her one woman show, Wishful Drinking, I wish I could BE her, or at least channel all my ills and angst and brilliantly and wittily and compelling as she does. Definitely my hero. Great topic.
Ian Curtis of Joy Division. Yes, I’m that old.
And however much my best friend hates him, because he’s relentless, I feel that Robin Williams is so very in need.
I vote for Kristin Hersh. (Too obscure?)
My choice is Liz Spikol- my favorite “celebrity”!
Billie Holiday, Nick Drake, Exene Cervenka, Elliott Smith, Robyn Hitchcock, Darby Crash, John Lennon, Marianne Faithful, Lou Reed, Mark Eitzel, Chet Baker, Alex Chilton and Courtney Love is an American icon.
Chandler Bing??? You could at least give the man some respect by using his REAL name!
I say HUGH LAURIE because I LOVE him SO MUCH and it hurts me to think that he ever hurts. I would make him all better if I could.
He has given us, his fans, so much.
WE LOVE YOU, HUGH.
Ludwig van Beethoven and Edgar Allan Poe get my vote.
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