Ty Herndon Reveals Addiction Relapse That Nearly Led to Suicide
Ty Herndon is opening up about an incredibly difficult chapter in his life that nearly culminated in him taking his own life. In a new interview, the country singer reveals that he relapsed in his longtime drug addiction in recent years and nearly ended up dying.
The 60-year-old singer tells People he has struggled with addiction to crystal meth for most of the last three decades, and he relapsed in recent years after 16 straight years of sobriety. During that period, he made history by coming becoming the first major-name male country solo artist to come out as gay in 2014.
He says he was first exposed to the drug when he was 20, and things rapidly spiraled out of control.
"It was given to me. I ended up not being in control of anything," Herndon says, adding, "There was some sexual abuse that happened, that were against my will. I'm not going to say a lot about that right now, because it's still a work in progress for me."
"Crystal meth has been a pandemic of my soul," he states. "It's been a destruction of my brain. It's given me some of the ugliest nightmares that I could never even describe."
The "What Mattered Most" singer tells People that after his relapse, he ended up hitting bottom on New Year's Eve in 2020, when he'd been up for four days. He had 27 Ambien tablets in his hand.
"The windows were duct-taped. There was not a stitch of daylight in my apartment," Herndon relates. "I was at peace. I was so calm."
Herndon says he didn't take the pills because his phone called a friend, though he does not believe me made the call himself. Attributing the call to "angels," the singer says he went back to rehab, where he dealt with his addiction and sexual trauma. Herndon is also dealing with his underlying mental illness for the first time after receiving a bipolar diagnosis in 2021.
Now 18 months sober again, Herndon is releasing a new album titled Jacob on July 15. He tells People the title is inspired by the biblical character.
"He took his biggest challenge and made it his biggest blessing," he states.