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."
How does Liza reconcile that perspective with the negative impact of drug abuse on her life?
Never knew this!!
Or do you mean her mother?
I think that’s a really interesting way to look at it. There’s something poetic about finding meaning in struggles, but isn’t it a bit tragic too?
This is rich coming from someone whose family tree is basically a tangled mess of Hollywood excess. What a legacy!
Is it really a gift if it comes with so much pain? I wonder how she feels about that now.
Liza might call it a gift, but I see it more as a burden handed down. Why do we romanticize addiction like this?
I get that she’s trying to make peace with her past, but it feels like she’s just making excuses for a pretty ugly situation. Can we stop glorifying dysfunction?
Has anyone else noticed that often those who struggle the most tend to look at challenges with a certain admiration? Why is that?
It’s fascinating how Liza connects her experience to her mother’s legacy—do you think that’s a common thread in families with celebrities?
So is her idea of a ‘gift’ just another way of dodging the reality of addiction? Seems like a stretch to me.
Can we take a moment to appreciate the tag line? Inspired!!