When you and your boyfriend/husband/partner/cohort may have little tiffs here and there, they sometimes could magnify to screaming fights or object throwing, but we hope they’ve never reached the catastrophic levels as these Top 10 dysfunctional mates.
1. Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen
Nancy was a stripper/prostitute/groupie; Sid was the bassist of the Sex Pistols. Together they were addicted to heroin as well as public fighting both verbal and physical. After his band broke up, Sid moved with Nancy to New York and stabbed her to death in the famous Chelsea Hotel. After attempting suicide and going to jail, he overdosed on heroin several months later in his new girlfriend’s house.
2. Ike and Tina Turner
After meeting as teenagers when Tina wanted to sing for him, the couple wed and rose to stardom together in the 60s and 70s (“Proud Mary” anyone?) They raised a family together, but Ike’s drug problems led him to be very abusive. Once after beating her, Tina left him taking only 36 cents and a gas card, never to return. They divorced soon after and never spoke again.
3. Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love
Though people like to think of her as a leech, Courtney met Kurt in Portland when they were both heading up underground bands and “bonded over pharmaceuticals,” according to Love. They hooked up several times but became inseparable when touring Europe together. They married, had a kids, did a lot of drugs, fought, and two years later, Kurt took his own life a week four days before Courtney’s band Hole released their creepily named album, Live Thru This.
4. Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston
When Whitney married Bobby, who had arrests and three kids under his belt, everyone felt he would be a bad influence on the sweet girl. Rumors of drug and spousal abuse affected her career and public image, till her behavior became more discussed than her music. After a horrifying reality show and stints in rehab, Whitney divorced Bobby, but their daughter, Bobbi Christina may not have escaped unscathed.
5. Amy Winehouse and Blake Fielder-Civil
A year ago, Amy married on-again-off-again boyfriend, Blake, and was quoted as saying, "I'll beat up Blake when I'm drunk." After years of battling substance abuse, eating disorders, depression, Amy was reportedly hospitalized for an overdose of heroin, ecstasy, cocaine, ketamine and alcohol. As someone who saw her act “normal” onstage during a phenomenal love performance a year ago, it’s sad to see such a rapid decline. Blake, who tried to pay off a witness who saw Amy buying drugs is clearly a horrible influence.
6. Eminem and Kim Mathers
Kim married and divorced hip-hop star Eminem twice, while the details of their tumultuous relationship have been divulged through public fighting, gossip, and songs like “Kim” which demonstrates Eminem verbally abusing her and has the sound of a throat being cut while he shouts, “Bleed, b-----!”
7. Kate Moss and Pete Doherty
They met at Kate’s 31sr birthday and dated for over two years and were engaged to marry last summer, but split up. During their time together they fought a lot and were caught on camera doing drugs (in Pete’s case, his TV on heroin debut was deliberate). While Kate has lost some campaigns, but she’s now engaged to someone else and both parties seen to be on the up and up, sobriety wise.
8. Tommy Lee and Pam Anderson
This relationship seems to have existed since the beginning of time. Multiple marriages and divorces later, Pam and Tommy share two boys, a sex tape and hepatitis. While they’re not officially a couple, they were spotted buying plants together this week.
9. Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne
Dating since their teens, Sharon became Ozzy’s manager and bride, though according to her they used to "beat the ----- out of each other.” Ozzy knocked out her teeth, she smashed a bottle on his head and in a drunken, drug-induced haze, he tried to strangle her. After a bout in rehab, the couple gained stability, and eventually a successful reality series with their family. She founded Ozzfest and revived his career yet again.
10. David Gest and Liza Minelli
After six-months of bliss, this couple live televised wedding shocked and disgusted us all with that kiss. The following year, David claimed she punched him in the head and sued her for $10 million. The suit was dismissed, but he remains the #1 collector of Judy Garland memorabilia.
