Robin Thicke opens up about abusing painkillers: ‘I was suffering blow after blow’

Robin Thicke is opening up about his addiction to painkillers and losing control over his life at the height of his career.

“You don't realize you're not in control,” he told People magazine. “Fame and a lot of those things — they got to me. I was in a bad place.”

While preparing to release his first new album in seven years, the 43-year-old reflected on his career and what he thought would be his downfall as his hit song Blurred Lines was taking off.

“That year was a whirlwind of fame, and overindulgence all coming to a head,” he said of 2013, the year of his infamous MTV VMA’s performance alongside Miley Cyrus. “My marriage to Paula [Patton] was crumbling... I started using painkillers. It was a melting pot of trouble brewing, and I was so arrogant that I thought I could handle it all.”

Thicke previously disclosed that he was abusing painkillers and alcohol in a deposition while being sued by Marvin Gaye's estate for copyright infringement. He explained to People that he was initially using painkillers to manage back pain from frequent flights, before it turned into a different type of dependence. “The painkillers became part of the release,” he admitted.

From there, it was a few years of a downward spiral that included his divorce from Patton, a custody battle over their son Julian and the loss of his father, actor Alan Thicke, who died from a heart attack.

“I wasn't in a good place when he passed, and I wasn't in a better place right after,” Thicke said. “However, a few months later I decided to dedicate my time to raising my son. I put everything aside. That was a big turn for me.”

Then Thicke met April Love Geary, his fiancée who he now shares three children with. Still, the couple faced the tragedy of their home burning down in the Woolsey fire in November 2018. “I was suffering blow after blow, loss after loss,” he said. “But I saw the house burning down as a chance for me to step up.”

The couple had daughter Mia at the time and were expecting their second little girl Lola. Now they also have an 8-week-old son, Luca. Their little family is what inspired his latest album, On Earth, and In Heaven.

“It's about the passing of the torch of my father to me, and the kind of man I want to be,” he said of the record. “It's no coincidence I've had three children in the last few years. Fatherhood has fed my soul and brought me back.”

While a wedding date hasn’t been set in stone just yet, the couple has plans to have a special day that includes their children. “We wanted our daughters to be old enough to be flower girls,” he said. “Luca will be the ring bearer.”

“I don't think I've ever been this happy,” Thicke said. “I'm just so grateful.”

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