"In the modern era, it’s a cliché: the rock star, comedian, or starlet who succumbs to addiction, alienation, depression, and self-destruction under the glare of the spotlight."

David Crosby just turned 80 and Keith Richards is on tour, so the idea that everyone succumbs to the various snares of fame is wrong. Ike Turner, the man who invented Rock & Roll, died of a cocaine overdose...at 76 years old. The reason why geniuses like Jim, or Janis, or Jimi, or Kurt, or Amy succumbed is that people were shaking their hands with a packet of fucking heroin. And no one would say no them because of who they were. There were people that benefited from the fact that they were partying that hard, because it gave them access. People like Syd Barret and Danny Kirwan who actually lost their minds also had heavy drug involvment. The fact that drugs and booze are around nightclubs, concert venues, and the entertainment industry in general means that they come with the job, and a lot of people can't handle it, especially when others are just giving it to them.

It's the booze and drugs, not the fame, that messes these creative folks up.