Liza Minnelli is reflecting on her lifelong struggle with substance use disorder in a new post honoring National Recovery Month.
Minnelli, 80, wrote that she was “grateful to be alive” in the post. “Yes, even at 80…we can still be kids,” she also wrote. “I feel damn childlike on days that make me vulnerable to my disease…Substance Use Disorder.”
The EGOT winner and daughter of Hollywood legend Judy Garland has been open about her struggles with alcohol, prescription medications, and cocaine over the years, which she’s characterized as being genetically inherited from Garland. Minnelli wrote on Wednesday that she wouldn’t have made it to 80 without the supportive people in her life.
“Thank God I have so much support,” she wrote, pointing to her sister, actress and singer Lorna Luft, her “dearest friend” Michael Feinstein, and celebrity doctor Lawrence Piro.
She also used the post to announce a new initiative “that will bring the lessons learned from a lifetime of recovery, high notes and low notes, to as many people as possible.” The program will be a “companion” to her memoir Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!, released in March.
The 80-year-old star’s post came on the heels of the deaths of 80-year-old legendary music and philanthropy icon Dolly Parton and iconic Rocky Horror Picture Show actor Tim Curry. Parton died on August 25 following a “short” battle with cancer, according to her family.
Curry died on the same day, following a long battle with complications from his severe 2012 stroke. An official cause of death has not been reported. The deaths of both octogenarian icons caused online fans to joke that Minnelli may need a “guard” from the Grim Reaper.
Minnelli wrote in her tribute to Parton, “No. It can’t be true. @dollyparton joined the celestial choir. This is devastating for so many reasons. I love Dolly. And she was always a truly supportive friend. We cheered each other on many times. When I was in trouble? Dolly knew it.”
