By Frank Donovan
The music industry full of people who’ve gone from rags to riches—but a few journeys have been more extreme than others. It’s hard to believe it now, but some of music’s biggest stars and brightest stars once had to struggle just for shelter. Read on for 10 artists who went from homeless to homes in multiple area codes.
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1 Jennifer LopezGetty Images
The singer recently revealed to W Magazine that she was homeless at age 18 when she and her mother “butted heads” about her decision to dance instead of attend college. Within a year she became a Fly Girl on In Living Color. -
2 Scott StappGetty Images
The Creed lead singer claimed to be “penniless,” sleeping in a truck before living in a Holiday Inn in a video confessional he released last year. -
3 Charles BradleyGetty Images
Soul singer Bradley drifted in and out of homelessness as a young man, and made his big break only recently in his 60s when he was discovered by a founder of Daptone Records. -
4 JewelGetty Images
“My boss fired me because I wouldn’t sleep with him, and I ended up homeless for a year,” the singer reported. -
5 Lil’ KimGetty Images
Lil’ Kim and her mother lived out of a car after leaving an abusive household situation. -
6 Jim MorrisonGetty Images
Before hitting it big, the Doors’ singer reportedly slept wherever he could in Los Angeles—on rooftops, in cars, and under the Venice Beach pier. -
7 Kurt CobainGetty Images
Cobain reportedly lived in a hospital waiting room as a teen, and according to his biographer, sometimes crashed at a hotel where the motto was “Come As You Are.” -
8 Patti SmithGetty Images
Anyone who’s read her memoir Just Kids remembers Smith’s recounting of her homeless days in the East Village. -
9 Frenchie DavisGetty Images
Davis was booted from American Idol upon the surfacing of nude photos she modeled for while homeless. -
10 Shania TwainGetty Images
Twain reportedly escaped from an abusive household and lived at a homeless shelter with her mother and siblings in Toronto.