10 Musicians Who Were Their Own Worst Enemy

WatchMojo

Some musicians’ greatest obstacles were themselves. Join us as we look back at stars whose self-destructive habits, controversies, or wild antics overshadowed their incredible musical legacies. From onstage chaos to personal demons, these stories are wild, tragic, and sometimes hard to believe!

Transcript

00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today, we're looking at musicians who didn't fail to be their own worst enemy.

00:13But Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time.

00:20Ted Nugent

00:21If Ted Nugent was known only for his work in music, you could define him as a legendary

00:26line performer and an iconic rock star who pens some classics of the genre.

00:37But as soon as he decided to out himself as an extremist conservative, public opinion on

00:42Nugent did a U-turn.

00:44To say that Ted Nugent is aggressive with his opinions would be an understatement.

00:49He's big on guns, and a vocal opponent of animal rights.

00:56And over the years, his comments on issues of politics, race, and healthcare have left

01:04many people totally fed up with Ted Nugent.

01:07It's as if he can't help himself, and his public reputation is likely beyond the points

01:12of repair.

01:13Keith Moon

01:14Keith Moon was a legendary drummer for British rock pioneers The Who, an unorthodox man behind

01:20the kit with an unquestionably unique sound.

01:31But for as much as he was a wild man on stage, he was definitely crazier off it.

01:36He was the rock star who truly mastered the art of destroying your hotel room on tour.

01:42He reputedly even drove a car into a swimming pool at one point.

01:53Eventually, though, his alcohol and substance use brought his life to a tragic end when he

01:58overdosed on prescription medication that he was taking to help him kick his alcohol use

02:03disorder.

02:04Jimi Hendrix

02:06Ask any guitarist worth their salt who the greatest of all time was and you'll likely get one answer.

02:11Jimi Hendrix

02:12There was no greater talent in the 1960s with the six-string in his hand, and his musical

02:17innovations still sound fresh today.

02:27But unfortunately, Hendrix was spreading himself incredibly thin by the end of the decade.

02:32Just as his musical experimentation was reaching new levels with his band of gypsies

02:37and his 1970 live performances, it all came to a shocking end.

02:48Hendrix, unfortunately, couldn't kick his dependency on certain substances.

02:53And on September 18, 1970, he passed away at the age of 27.

02:58To this day, his next career step remains one of the biggest what-ifs in music history.

03:04You got me going for my heart

03:07Tomorrow or just the end of time

03:11Sly Stone

03:14Funk and R&B legend, the late Sly Stone had one of the greatest runs imaginable

03:19through the late 60s and early 70s with Sly and the Family Stone.

03:23I want to thank you for letting me be myself again

03:31But despite being a unifying force for positivity and equality,

03:35Stone's substance use disorder struggles derailed his creative force at a crucial time.

03:40Not only was his partying getting out of hand,

03:43but some terrible financial decisions left him broke for large portions of his later life.

03:56Despite getting his band back together for another shot, the damage was done.

04:00Sly ended his career with some pretty disastrous live performances where he looked

04:05like he never should have been allowed on stage in his state.

04:16And though he is undeniably a legend, his legacy is a complicated one.

04:21John Bonham

04:22Legendary Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham might just be the most iconic rock and roll sticks man of all time.

04:28There might not have been a better man to have been behind the kit during the late 60s and 70s,

04:40but like so many rock gods, Bonham's vices would eventually get the better of him, and alcohol was his.

04:47Despite Led Zeppelin's immense popularity and critical acclaim, Bonham's drinking and womanizing

04:52saw him fall into an ugly decline. When he was 32 years old,

04:57he died after passing out while on a particularly wild bender. Bonham's work was already immortalized,

05:04but we can't help but wonder what he would have done under different circumstances.

05:16Ozzy Osbourne

05:17Ozzy Osbourne was a trailblazer of heavy metal who really needs no introduction at this stage.

05:23His work with Black Sabbath is the stuff of legend, and despite having a wide array of substance use

05:41disorders, he somehow pulled off a successful solo career.

05:45But Ozzy's dependence on substances was always going to take its toll. Over 50 years of hellacious

05:58behavior cost him friends, musical relationships, and in some ways, his reputation.

06:04Could be right, I could be wrong, it hurts so bad, it's been so long

06:11Sure, the hits are untouchable, but to most people, the late Ozzy is known best as the

06:18wacky rock star from MTV's The Osbournes. In reality, as his last show was Sabbath,

06:23and the reaction to his death in July 2025 demonstrates,

06:27his musical career deserves to be front and center in any Ozzy-related discussion.

06:39Courtney Love

06:41Nobody courts controversy quite like Courtney Love. In fact,

06:45the excellent music she created with her band Hole is often totally overshadowed by her attention-craving

06:51public persona. She and her husband, Kurt Cobain, were one of the most famous rock and roll couples

07:03of the 90s. But when Cobain died, Love seemingly decided to devote as much energy as humanly possible

07:10into beefing with everyone under the sun. Love just seems to like being in the thick of conflict.

07:15There was a point in time when a single week really went by without hearing about Love

07:20trashing some other musician. Old legends or contemporaries, new up-and-comers,

07:25they were all fair game. All that negativity as a way of making someone pretty unlikable.

07:38Jim Morrison

07:39Jim Morrison was a lot of things to a lot of people. A poet, a singer, a frontman extraordinaire,

07:45and one of the greatest counterculture icons of the 1960s.

07:49But unfortunately, he was also a boundary pusher in ways that were detrimental to his health.

08:04His hell-raising lifestyle involved a whole lot of experimentation with substances and problems with

08:10the law. And while the music of the doors continued to improve, Jim's own health began to suffer. He

08:16gained weight and lost the velvet-smooth tone of his youthful voice. And by the time he reached 27,

08:23his self-destructive cycle ended with his untimely death. A genius artist who left us way too soon.

08:30Axl Rose

08:40Axl Rose is the type of rock star who doesn't seem to care what anyone thinks of him.

08:45Welcome to the jungle! We got fun and games! We got everything you want! How do we know the name?

08:52Sure, being the lead singer of a rock band who has a massive ego is by no means unique to him. But when

08:58you're showing up late to gigs, being damn near insufferable to bandmates, and writing baffling

09:04songs like One In A Million, you're not going to be everyone's cup of tea.

09:14In fact, it's pretty fair to say that Rose has truly damaged Guns N' Roses' reputation over the years.

09:21It should come as no surprise that he has been the group's only constant member since they started.

09:26And it's not hard to see why. The dude's ego has been out of control for decades now.

09:31And others say that's just me. Some say I'm crazy. I guess I'll always be.

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09:57Kanye West

09:58Kanye West has always been a larger-than-life character.

10:01You can only make me stronger. I need you to hurry up now.

10:06Cause I can't wait much longer.

10:08But watching him spiral into his current state has been truly alarming.

10:12Considered by many as one of the musical geniuses of his era,

10:17West's desire to push things further and further saw his ego grow to monstrous proportions.

10:22And the toll that his ambition took on his mental health has been massive.

10:32These days, West is a provocateur to the max, regularly saying and doing things that make

10:38interrupting Taylor Swift at the VMAs look like child's play.

10:41He told himself that he was a god so many times that he seems to have lost touch with his last

10:52ounce of humility. Did we miss out on any musicians who can't help but get in their own way?

10:58Let us know in the comments below!

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