The face of the rock group Aerosmith has been through many highs and lows. On his 75th birthday, the music legend is struggling with the consequences of addiction, and a controversial relationship.
Steven TylerImage: Rolando Rodriguez/Photoshot/picture alliance
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With hits like "Walk This Way" and "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," Aerosmith enjoyed worldwide success and filled stadiums.
Out front was larger-than-life Steven Tyler with his long mane, eccentric outfits and powerful voice. Rising several octaves to a high-pitched scream, his voice earned Tyler the nickname, "Demon of Screamin'."
Tyler was 21-years-old in 1970 when he formed the band Aerosmith with friend and guitarist, Joe Perry. They were inspired by the songwriter duos Mick Jagger and Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones; and John Lennon and Paul McCartney from the Beatles.
In 1973 the debut album "Aerosmith" was released with their first classic hit "Dream On." The album went close to reach the top of the charts.
"Toys in The Attic" came two years later, the album catapulting the band into stadiums with the hit "Walk This Way."
Steven Tyler is known for his eccentric dress senseImage: Jan Nienheysen/dpa/picture-alliance
Drugs and rock'n'roll
Tyler was always a great performer. Androgynous and provocative, he swung his mic stand around like a baton and excited the audience with his tight overalls. He often stage-dived but at one point the band put a grille up between the stage and the fans.
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Success was coupled with drug abuse. Tyler started smoking marijuana at age 16, with cocaine later added to his list of vices. Tyler lived the life of a rock star to the fullest, spending millions on drugs in his lifetime, he once said in an interview.
But the drugs ultimately led to problems within the band. Tyler and Perry were nicknamed the "Toxic Twins." In an interview with German magazine DerSpiegel in 2017, Tyler said "we tried everything."
But music was his biggest drug. "I wouldn't be here today," he said, "I survived because Aerosmith has long been my only addiction, or music is the best drug – the high goes away, the songs stay."
Aerosmith have been active since 1970Image: Rudi Keuntje/Geisler-Fotopress/picture alliance
The big crisis came in the early 1980s when band members fell out with each other, Joe Perry and guitarist Brad Whitford leaving before rejoining a now sober Tyler in 1985.
A year later, they collaborated with American hip hop group Run DMC on a remake of "Walk This Way" that was a megahit.
The band started filling up stadiums again and topping the charts. They won Grammys and went platinum, with every album a top 10 success.
In 2012, Aerosmith released "Music from Another Dimension," which turned out to be their last album. Tyler later released a 2016 solo album, "We're All Somebody from Somewhere."
But Tyler recently had another drug relapse, with concerts canceled in July 2022. By the end of the year, there were further cancellations due to Tyler's poor health. No further gigs are planned.
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Allegations of abuse against Tyler
Scandal has plagued Tyler's personal life. The chaos began with his relationship with underage Julia Holcomb when he was 27 and she was 16.
He adopted Holcomb so she could accompany him on tours. Tyler allegedly coerced her to have an abortion when she was five months pregnant. He wrote openly about the relationship in his memoir, "Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?," which was published in 2012.
Half a century later, Holcomb filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against Tyler. A court in California has temporarily suspended a relevant statute of limitations for sexual abuse of minors. The case is ongoing.
Liv Tyler – a secret child
Tyler's tumultuous personal life includes his brief affair with singer and Playboy model Bebe Buel in the mid-1970s. They had a daughter, the actress Liv Tyler.
Steven Tyler is the father of movie star Liv Tyler. She featured in two of Aerosmith's music videosImage: Band Photo/Photoshot/Picture-Alliance
For a long time, Tyler hid the fact that he was Liv's father. She believed that her father was the rock musician Todd Rundgren, who was involved with Bebe Buell. Rundgren accepted paternity because Tyler was unable to raise a child due to his drug addiction. The two made a deal that they would tell Liv who her real father was on her 18th birthday.
However, she found out the truth when she was 11. A father-daughter relationship then developed which drew a lot of media attention. Liv appeared in Aerosmiths' 1994 Aerosmith music video "Crazy." This was her breakthrough and in 1998 she played the lead in the blockbuster "Armageddon," with Aerosmith singing the official soundtrack song, "I Don't Want To Miss Thing."
Tyler has married twice since and has two other daughters and a son.
Tyler Acting career
In addition to his career as a musician, Tyler also appeared on television and in movies, including "Wayne's World 2," "Be Cool" and "Two and a Half Men."
Aerosmith once featured in the popular US show The SimpsonsImage: 20th Century Fox Film Corp./Everett Collection/picture alliance
In 2006, Tyler underwent treatment for hepatitis C. Since then, he raised awareness about the dangers of liver illness.
He also supports "Sea Shepherd Conservation Society," an international organization dedicated to preserving biodiversity. In 2014, Tyler campaigned for more humane treatment of pigs and cattle.
In 2008, the music magazine Rolling Stone ranked Tyler 99th among the 100 best singers of all time.
Age apparently does not bother him. When Tyler turned 70, he joked to Der Spiegel that aging is not that bad as long as he's younger than Mick Jagger, who is five years older.
This article was translated from the German.
From Iron Maiden to Beethoven: Stars on stamps
Royal Mail has unveiled a series of stamps paying tribute to rock legends Iron Maiden. Postage companies worldwide have also celebrated various cultural icons.
Image: Royal Mail
Iron Maiden
The UK's Royal Mail has revealed images of 12 new stamps paying tribute to Iron Maiden. The influential heavy metal band appears on eight stamps featuring their legendary performances worldwide, while four other stamps depict the group's grim mascot, Eddie (picture), described by the postal service as "a pop-cultural icon in his own right." The stamps will go on sale on January 12.
Image: Royal Mail
David Bowie
In 2022, Deutsche Post issued a stamp paying tribute to David Bowie, who died of cancer on January 10, 2016. The influential singer lived in Berlin in the late 70s. The stamp features a picture by US photographer Greg Gorman. For its special editions, the German postal service takes suggestions from the public.
Image: dpa/picture alliance
Udo Lindenberg
Once a theme for a new German stamp is accepted, graphic designers can submit their ideas in a competition. Some celebrities simply take the design into their own hands, as was the case for German rocker Udo Lindenberg in 2018 for the collection "Udo's 10 Commandments." The proceeds went to the Boniface Association, a charity supporting social projects for women and children.
Audrey Hepburn
In 2001 Deutsche Post issued a stamp dedicated to Audrey Hepburn. But her family objected to the choice of photo showing the Hollywood icon smoking. The 14 million stamps that had already been printed had to be destroyed. A rare few survived — and became extremely valuable. A single stamp fetched €135,000 ($153,000) at an auction in 2005, and a pane of 10 stamps even reached €430,000 in 2010.
Image: Horst Ossinger/dpa/dpaweb/picture-alliance
Falco
In 2006 the Austrian post issued a special stamp with singer Falco, who died in 1998 at the age of 40. He is dressed up as Mozart, a reference to his superhit "Rock Me Amadeus" from 1985, which to this day remains the only German-language single to have reached number one of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Austria had already dedicated a stamp to its star in 1994.
Ludwig van Beethoven
An art advisory board decides on the drafts of the stamps. For deceased celebrities, the winning design must be coordinated with their heirs and estate administrators — ideally ahead of printing, as the Hepburn case taught us. The stamp for Beethoven's 250th anniversary in 2020 features a stylized version of a famous portrait of the composer by Joseph Karl Stieler.
Image: Oliver Berg/dpa/picture alliance
Hildegard Knef
Postage stamps also document the passing of time. This special stamp with the portrait of German singer and actress Hildegard Knef was issued in 2003, a year after her death. At the time, a standard letter could be sent within Germany for 55 cents. That now costs 85 cents.
Image: Raimund Müller/imago images
Sesame Street
Ernie and Bert proudly presented the 2020 series of stamps dedicated to the stars of the German spin-off of the beloved US children's show, "Sesame Street." Along with Bert, Elmo, the Cookie Monster and Ernie, the German version of the show also has the puppets Samson and Tiffy as main characters.
Image: Markus Scholz/dpa/picture alliance
Michael Jackson
Special postage stamps with prominent personalities are popular around the world. Pop stars like Michael Jackson have been immortalized in several countries. This design from a US stamp was reproduced as a mural in Rio de Janeiro, where he had shot the video for his single "They Don't Care About Us" in 1995.
Buddy Holly
Many international stamps celebrating stars are colorful and cheerful. This US postage stamp from 1993 honors rock 'n' roller Buddy Holly ("Peggy Sue"), who died in a plane crash in 1959 at the age of 22. Most pictures show Buddy Holly smiling, like the image on the stamp above.
Elvis Presley
And of course there have been stamps paying tribute to the King of rock 'n' roll all around the world — there's even one from the Pacific island state of Palau. In 1992, the US Postal Service proposed two possible designs for an Elvis Presley stamp. The design depicting him much younger won.
Australian stars
Special postage stamps often celebrate national success stories, like this 2009 series featuring Australian Academy Award winners Cate Blanchett, Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman and Geoffrey Rush. Launched in 1997, Australia Post's annual Legends Awards stamps commemorate people from the country who have made significant contributions to the world.
In 2021, the UK's Royal Mail issued a special edition featuring numerous superheroes and villains from the DC Comics universe. They were designed by British comic book artist Jim Cheung, known for his work on the Avengers series — published by DC's competitor, Marvel Comics.
Image: Royal Mail/AP/picture alliance
The Rolling Stones
In January 2022, the British postal service honored The Rolling Stones with 12 special stamps. The band celebrated its 60th anniversary that year and remains among "the most enduring rock groups of all time," the Royal Mail said. The Stones have created some of the most iconic and inspiring albums in modern music and are renowned for their groundbreaking live performances, it was noted.
