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 Lopez
Getty ImagesThe 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 Stapp
Getty ImagesThe 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 Bradley
Getty ImagesSoul 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 Jewel
Getty 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’ Kim
Getty ImagesLil’ Kim and her mother lived out of a car after leaving an abusive household situation. -
6 Jim Morrison
Getty ImagesBefore 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 Cobain
Getty ImagesCobain 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 Smith
Getty ImagesAnyone who’s read her memoir Just Kids remembers Smith’s recounting of her homeless days in the East Village. -
9 Frenchie Davis
Getty ImagesDavis was booted from American Idol upon the surfacing of nude photos she modeled for while homeless. -
10 Shania Twain
Getty ImagesTwain reportedly escaped from an abusive household and lived at a homeless shelter with her mother and siblings in Toronto.