Actress Heather Locklear is best known for her long-running stints in Dynasty and Melrose
Place.
But with the exception of a Golden Globe nomination for her work on the ABC sitcom Spin City in
2002, the next chapter was not as kind to the actress.
She managed to keep up appearances by landing a few guest-starring roles, but off-camera,
Locklear was living a very different life — one that was a far cry from the glittering,
A-list status she'd previously enjoyed.
Let's take a look inside the double life of Heather Locklear.
Rock star husbands
Locklear married Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee in 1986, and their unlikely union came
as a shock to many.
Jeff Giles wrote for Ultimate Classic Rock,
"Lee, like his Mötley Crüe bandmates, was rightly perceived as a reckless hedonist.
Locklear, meanwhile, had a virginal reputation."
The heavy metal band was even accused of devil worship during the "Satanic panic" of the
mid-'80s, though Locklear brushed that off, telling People,
"Tommy doesn't worship the devil.
He worships me."
The romance didn't last, and the two divorced in '94.
But Locklear wasn't done with rock stars just yet.
Before the year was out, she was married to Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora . Eleven
years later, the actress abruptly filed for divorce.
According to People, she discovered some "provocative pictures" in an email sent to her husband
by her friend, actress Denise Richards.
Locklear never confirmed the rumors, and Sambora went on to date Richards on and off for several
years.
Personal struggles
In March of 2008, a 911 operator answered a call from Locklear's concerned doctor.
According to The Huffington Post, the doctor had prescribed antidepressants to Locklear,
but had become concerned that she might overdose on them.
He told emergency dispatchers:
"I have a patient and I have a feeling she's suicidal, and I want someone to go there."
Officers obliged and went to Locklear's home, but when they arrived, the actress claimed
the whole thing was a misunderstanding.
A source told People,
"She was talking to a friend.
She was bummed about something, and the person overreacted.
Heather's doing great.
[…] She seems really happy."
But despite claims from Locklear's nearest and dearest that she was doing fine, in June
2008, she quietly checked herself into a rehab facility in Arizona, reportedly to overcome
anxiety and depression.
Locklear's rep said in a press release,
"She requested an in-depth evaluation of her medication and entered into a medical facility
for proper diagnosis and treatment.
This is a confidential medical matter and no further statement will be released."
Locklear reportedly spent four weeks undergoing treatment — which included spa sessions
and horse riding, and it apparently did the actress a world of good.
A friend told People,
"Heather's feeling really great, and she looks beautiful, just radiant.
She told a really funny story and she laughed from her core, that's when I knew she was
going to be fine.
I think that's the best part of all — it's so nice to hear her laugh."
Those close to her made it seem as though it was back to business as usual for the actress,
and the story simply went away.
But in the months that followed, the cracks in Locklear's radiant armor began to show
again.
Arrest for DUI
According to People in 2008, Locklear was arrested and charged with driving under the
influence, after someone called 911 after witnessing her "driving erratically."
In the end, Locklear pleaded no contest to reckless driving and in exchange, the DUI
vanished.
The official line was that Locklear hadn't been drinking that day, but had actually been
unknowingly impaired by the meds she was taking.
Santa Barbara Deputy District Attorney Lee Carter told the New York Daily News, "She
had prescription medication in her system that could have impaired her ability to safely
drive a motor vehicle."
The plea deal that Locklear's attorney thrashed out with prosecutors required her to take
part in three years of informal probation as well as a 12-hour DMV road and safety class.
She was also slapped with a $700 fine, but emerged from the situation with her reputation
only slightly tattered.
Getting physical
Following her failed marriages to rock stars, Locklear decided to try dating an actor — and
coupled up with Melrose Place co-star Jack Wagner, her one-time on-screen husband on
the show.
These two seemed like the perfect match when they first began stepping out in public together
in 2007.
And by August 2011, they announced that they were going to marry in real life.
But just a few months later, Locklear's rep confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the
wedding was off.
And according to Star Magazine, things got a little crazy between the ex-lovers when
Wagner showed up at Locklear's house to return some of her belongings.
An argument ensued and the two allegedly got into a physical altercation.
A source close to the couple revealed,
"A huge argument erupted as they insulted each other's families.
As Heather went to her car, Jack lunged at her, trying to grab or push her.
Her reaction was to swing.
She caught Jack with a right hook across his face, knocking him to the ground."
Initially, it looked as though both Locklear and Wagner would be heading to court on battery
charges, but no charges were pressed on either side, and both parties moved on.
A dangerous mix
Paramedics were once again called to Locklear's home in January of 2012.
According to TMZ, her sister made a panicked 911 call after discovering that Locklear had
ingested a dangerous mixture of prescription drugs and alcohol.
A spokesperson for the Ventura County Sheriff's Department told People,
"Emergency response personnel responded to a medical emergency call at Ms. Locklear's
residence.
Once they arrived, it was determined that Ms. Locklear needed to be transported to the
hospital for further medical attention."
Speculation was rife that the actress had made an attempt on her own life, but the actress
and her family claimed it was an accidental overdose.
A hospital spokesperson told the New York Daily News, "Her parents want everyone to
know that it was not a suicide attempt.
She's not in any danger, and she's just fine...She's resting comfortably, and when she's not resting,
she's talkative and alert in good condition."
Worse than it seemed
In January 2017, Locklear released a statement claiming that she was "feeling great" in response
to a rumor that she'd re-entered rehab.
The actress said she was ready to go "full steam ahead" in 2017, but in September of
that year, she ran her Porsche off the road.
Emergency dispatch audio revealed that Locklear pulled herself free of the crash before a
rescue crew (or paparazzi) arrived.
Most outlets reported that Locklear had simply veered into a ditch, but a 911 call obtained
by TMZ told a different story.
The caller can be heard telling the dispatcher that the car had crashed into a creek and
was "ten feet or more" from the roadside.
"Is there anything else, is there someone in there?
Yeah, there is a person in the car"
Locklear was hospitalized, indicating that the accident was actually worse than she let
on.
Entertainment Tonight later reported that she had broken her collarbone.
Interestingly, as soon as the authorities became aware of her identity, it seems they
may have wrapped things up as swiftly as possible.
A deputy told the radio dispatcher on the call,
"It's a celebrity, she's huge."
And the dispatcher responded,
"I'll let [the Sheriff's Office] know, and they'll probably get out there a little quicker."
Locklear once again escaped charges.
Law enforcement officials concluded neither drugs nor alcohol were to blame for the accident.
Lashing out at the cops
In February 2018, Locklear was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence and
battery on a sheriff's deputy, after her brother reportedly showed up at her house and found
her fighting with boyfriend Chris Heisser.
According to TMZ, Locklear's brother reportedly called 911 when the violence started getting
out of hand, but when law enforcement turned up, the actress reportedly became "irate."
A source told Entertainment Tonight, "She was furious her brother got the police involved
and she was in no state to be able to have a normal thinking conversation.
She was out of control.
She was screaming at the police and went on the attack.
She physically fought the police and they had to handcuff her to control her."
This version of events was seemingly confirmed by the Ventura County Sheriff's Department,
who told the Los Angeles Times that Locklear's behavior was:
"Extremely hostile and uncooperative, and [she] at one point became combative with the
deputies."
An insider told Entertainment Tonight that Locklear has a habit of projecting an image
of normalcy, though she may be battling personal problems behind the scenes.
The source said,
"It's sad she lets things get this out of control before she gets help."
In September 2017, Locklear posted lovey-dovey messages about Heisser to her Instagram, calling
her high school sweetheart her "first love and final love" and her "favorite person on
earth."
But Heisser found himself in handcuffs after being busted for DUI just hours after the
alleged domestic violence incident.
We certainly hope the Heather Locklear we love finds a way to merge her private and
public personas into a strong and healthy identity.
Thanks for watching!
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