In its 70 years of existence, Hazelden Betty Ford has attracted patients from across the world, famous folks included. Of the roughly 1% of the institution’s clientele that is celebrities, here are some notables. (As a matter of policy, Hazelden never confirms nor denies the attendance of any of its patients.)
Photography by Eva Rinaldi
Robin Williams
Struggling with alcohol and cocaine addiction for much of his life, the actor checked into the Lodge at Hazelden in the summer of 2014 as part of a planned recharge after 18 months of work. His time in Minnesota led to the locally famous photo he took with a Dairy Queen employee in Lindstrom. He died by suicide just months later at age 63.
Photography by John Matthew Smith/celebrity-photos.com
Liza Minnelli
“I am so happy to be here, and I’m so grateful to Hazelden that I am here,” Minnelli said at a New York City fundraiser she hosted for the institution in 1992. Her time there in 1985 was one of several stints in rehab for drug and alcohol addiction. Today, the entertainer is sober.
Photography by David Shankbone
Calvin Klein
“A little less than two weeks ago, I checked myself into Hazelden Foundation in Center City, Minnesota, for treatment,” the fashion designer said in a 1988 statement. Klein, who has struggled with alcohol and prescription-drug abuse, sought treatment at another clinic in 2003 after displaying erratic behavior at a New York Knicks game. Today, he is sober.
Photography by Angela George
Natalie Cole
The Grammy-winning singer began using drugs like LSD as early as college. At the behest of her agent, manager and lawyer, she entered rehab in 1983 to manage a drug and alcohol addiction. She found 30 years of sobriety but contracted hepatitis C through shared needles and ultimately died in 2016 at age 65.
Photography by Kevin Burkett
Ozzy Osbourne
“Hazelden in Minnesota is a really hard one,” the rocker told Playboy in 2005. “They do not fuck around.” He sought treatment there as part of an ongoing battle with hash, cocaine and alcohol likely in the early eighties. As of 2017, Osbourne had been five years sober.
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Dexter Manley
The Washington Redskins defensive end spent 30 days at the institution for alcohol treatment in 1987 as part of his 24-year battle with drug addiction (namely cocaine) that included visits to 37 other facilities along the way. His football career ended with “retirement” after his fourth failed drug test in 1991. Today, he is sober.
Photography by Manfred Werner
Melanie Griffith
After showing up drunk on the set of Working Girl in 1988, the actress checked into Hazelden. She was there again in 1989, entered a California treatment center for a painkiller addiction in 2000 and also spent time at Utah’s Cirque Lodge in 2009. As of 2015, she had been five years sober.
Photography by Raph_PH
Eric Clapton
Battling alcohol and heroin addiction, the musician spent time at the clinic in 1982 and again in 1987. Despite likening it to Fort Knox, he explained in the documentary Beware of Mr. Baker that he “wouldn’t be here today — I’d probably be dead — if I hadn’t gotten straight.” In 1998, he founded the Crossroads Centre in Antigua, which treats addiction, in part, through an island-based respite from daily life.
