Key Points
- Liza Minnelli calls her mother's "final gift" a genetic inheritance that led to long-term substance addiction.
- She recalls Valium prescribed after Judy Garland's 1969 death, which escalated into cocaine addiction.
- Elizabeth Taylor urged rehab; Minnelli now controls medications, avoids alcohol, vows "no going back."
LIZA Minnelli blames late mum Judy Garland for getting her hooked on cocaine.
Judy passed away from an accidental overdose in June 1969. She was 47.
And Liza, 79, is convinced the Hollywood legend’s “final gift” to her was a battle with substance abuse.
Minnelli talked about her drug problem in an extract from her new memoir, Kids, Wait Til You Hear This!
“I cried for eight straight days” she wrote, referring to the time when Judy died.
“Stress and tension overwhelmed me. I was reeling, and a doctor prescribed Valium to help me relax just before the funeral. What began as a one-day blessing soon turned into a habit, then a full-blown case of addiction in the years ahead.
“It was a final gift, a genetic inheritance from Mama I could not escape.”
“When aides asked if I took any medications, I said, ‘Only a few, on weekends.’ The intake guys didn’t bat an eye.
“I’d had a front-row seat to Mama’s demons. But I was convinced I was different. I used cocaine, but so did everybody else. Baby, I had it all under control. What bulls.”
Dame Elizabeth Taylor urged Liza to go back to rehab and take her problem seriously.
Liza said: “I’ll never forget the urgency in her voice and her words: ‘Liza, this disease is going to kill you if you don’t do the right thing.’ she said. ‘Please, no more lies. Look in the mirror and see what we all see. You look like hell, and you feel even worse. You’re not able to do this alone’.
“One morning, as I reached for my pills before breakfast, I realised that maybe my nine lives were up. I was not even remotely cautious about the medications I was taking, and the world knows what an incautious overdose did to our family years ago.
“I’d be damned if I let that happen to me now.
“These days, if someone offers me a glass of champagne at a party, I thank them, and put it down without a sip. Medication is a different story. I still have lower back pain, and I do get anxious from time to time.
“But the drugs are now strictly controlled. And baby, there’s no going back.”
Why This Matters
Minnelli’s candid admission links hereditary trauma and prescription misuse to addiction, humanizing celebrity struggles and underscoring risks of prescribed sedatives. Her recovery and openness may reduce stigma, encourage treatment, and remind families to watch for inherited vulnerabilities.
