Drugs & Alcohol

Chris Cornell was messed up during his Detroit concert ... hours before he committed suicide -- this according to a longtime confidant who was present and working the event.

Ted Keedick, who worked with Chris for the last decade as his house engineer and tour manager, tells TMZ, "Chris was out of character from note 1 of the show. I've never heard or seen him that way before, at least if we did not cancel a show."

Keedick says Chris seemed "high" and "f***ed up," but not depressed. In fact, Keedick says during sound check Chris was in good spirits. It's consistent with what Chris' widow says of her phone conversations with Chris before and after the show.

Vicky Cornell says Chris told her he had taken "an extra Ativan or two" and she was so alarmed she called hotel security to check on him. Chris' own security guy discovered the singer had hanged himself in his bathroom.

Keedick says Chris was off during the entire show, saying, "I'd never heard his voice that way before. He was having serious control problems."

Keedick was positioned in the middle of the audience with his mixing board, and at one point during the concert he was so concerned he phoned someone backstage and asked what was wrong with Chris.

As we reported, Chris had struggled with drug abuse for years, but his wife says he was clean when he died. Based on Keedick's account, it appears he fell off the wagon before his last concert.

Ethan Embry's hooked on something else these days ... GETTING YOKED!

The "Can't Hardly Wait" star was in Larchmont Village Tuesday and the convo started on a serious note -- drug addiction. Ethan was hooked on heroin and painkillers, but says he's 6 years sober now.

He railed against those who want to criminalize drug addiction -- going off on a Twitter rant to get his point across ... but in the midst of that convo, we learned he's picked up quite the fitting habit.

Sinbad thinks a D.C. bar serving a cocktail that mocks the Bill Cosby case is the exact opposite of funny ... in fact, it's just wrong.

We got the comedian Monday at LAX and asked him about the bar -- called Diet Starts Monday -- pouring a "Pill Cosby" ... complete with empty pill capsules.

Sinbad doesn't mince words here -- he says it's not a joke, and his stance has nothing to do with defending Cosby's name.

His point is ... bars should leave the edgy comedy to the pros.

NFL free agent Matt Elam was arrested again Monday morning in Florida after allegedly fighting his girlfriend over a cell phone.

According to a police report, obtained by TMZ Sports, police were called to his girlfriend's Delray Beach home around 4 AM.

Cops say they spoke with his girlfriend and her mom, who told them Elam -- who last played for the Baltimore Ravens -- had just came by their house to pick up his car.

According to the report, his girlfriend told police Elam tried to grab her cell phone out of her hand because he had paid for it. She told cops they fell onto the ground while fighting over the phone.

Cops say he got ahold of the phone and took off on foot. They said his girlfriend had small cuts on her finger and left foot from the fight.

Police say they found Elam a couple hours later at a house in the area. He told cops he asked his girlfriend for money and when she refused, he took her phone. He said she took his phone in return.

Elam -- who was arrested on drug charges back in February -- was booked for domestic battery and grand theft. He's currently being held on $4,500 bond.

Chris Cornell's wife believes her husband's death was actually caused by an overdose of Ativan and that if he took his life he was not in his right mind.

Vicky Cornell confirms the story we broke Thursday ... that she spoke with Chris twice hours before his death and he was not suicidal ... not even depressed. Vicky says when she spoke with Chris before his Detroit concert they discussed vacation plans over Memorial Day.

She says after the show when they spoke, she noticed he was slurring his words, and that's when Chris told her he "may have taken an extra Ativan or two."

The family lawyer is not ready to concede Chris' death was suicide, and says the toxicology tests may provide the key. The lawyer notes Chris was a recovering addict and, "The family believes if Chris took his life, he did not know what he was doing, and that drugs or other substances may have affected his actions." He adds Ativan can cause paranoid or suicidal thoughts.

WWE legend X-Pac -- real name Sean Waltman -- is so determined to prove he's not a meth dealer, he took a lie detector test and passed with flying colors ... but there's a catch.

We broke the story, X-Pac was arrested at LAX on April 29 after drug dogs found pills in his luggage that officials believed to meth. He was booked for possession of narcotics with intent to sell.

X-Pac previously claimed the pills were NOT meth, but instead a non-meth medicine used to treat a yeast infection.

To prove his story, X-Pac invited polygraph examiner Rachel Levi to his show, "X-Pac 12360," on Afterbuzz TV to put him through the ringer.

The problem for X-Pac ... the science behind polygraph tests is widely disputed and the results are not admissible in court.

Chris Cornell was not depressed or in a suicidal state the evening he died ... this according to his wife.

Sources who spoke with Chris' wife Thursday morning tell TMZ, Vicky Cornell spoke with her husband during soundcheck before he took the stage in Detroit and after Wednesday night's show. According to our sources, Vicky says Chris was NOT in any way, shape or form in a suicidal state. She doubled down and said there were no signs he was at all depressed.

We're told Vicky tried reaching Chris in his hotel room early Thursday morning but he was not answering. She became concerned and asked someone to call hotel security. That's when Chris' body was discovered.

Vicky told people Thursday morning he was devoted to his kids -- ages 16, 12 and 11 -- and she didn't believe he would take his life.

That said, law enforcement says Chris' death is an apparent suicide, which raises the question about whether he'd fallen off the wagon.

UFC badass Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone says he doesn't give a DAMN if Jon Jones blows an entire Swiss Alps ski slope of cocaine ... as long he beats the hell outta people in the Octagon.

Cowboy and Jones train together -- so, we asked how the ex-champ is lookin' as he prepares for his upcoming showdown with Daniel Cormier.

The good news -- Jones looks awesome.

Then Cowboy dropped this gem: "If Jon wants to do drugs and still kick ass, you go ahead baby! You do your thing."

Hopefully drugs won't be his thing ... no one wants to see Jones catch another suspension before the DC fight!

As for Cowboy, he's fighting Robbie Lawler at UFC 213 in July -- and says it's gonna be one of the most violent brawls in the history of the sport.

Khloe just tweeted about the J, sayin, "The funny thing is I don't smoke lol I don't mind if you do. To each their own. I was bringing it to someone else but it is what it is."

If Khloe Kardashian appeared to be smoking weed on Sunday night's episode of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" ... it's only because she was ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to production tell us ... yes, that was a joint in her hand as she hugged Scott Disick. We're told producers didn't mind Khloe shooting scenes with it because it was natural -- she was having a good time with the fam in Costa Rica, and sometimes ganja happens.

For the record ... cannabis is decriminalized for personal use in CR.

Translation: Smoke 'em if ya got 'em. And Khloe definitely had 'em. Pura Vida!

Chris Soules might have just saved himself from showing his face in court for a while -- he entered a plea of not guilty on paper, instead of in person.

Chris filed a written plea Tuesday, waiving his right to an arraignment in open court. He pleaded not guilty to one charge of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death.

Chris was arrested in Iowa last month after he left the scene of the fatal crash with a farm tractor. Prosecutors say he bought booze before the crash.

Interesting delay tactic, but one way or another Soules WILL eventually have to show up in court.

Jake Harris failed to show up in court to face drug charges, so now he's a wanted man ... TMZ has learned.

The former "Deadliest Catch" star was already facing 2 felony drug possession charges when he skipped a hearing Friday in Phoenix. According to court docs, the judge immediately issued a bench warrant for Harris' arrest.

We broke the story ... Harris was busted last month after he took off with his friend's car and was found the next day with Xanax and crystal meth.

Jake left the "Deadliest Catch" cast back in 2012.

Antonio Sabàto, Jr.'s calling it quits with his wife and the divorce is getting nasty ... with her making allegations of drug abuse as he launches a run for Congress.

The former soap star filed docs on December 27 to split from Cheryl Marie after a 5-year marriage. They have a 6-year-old son together and in docs, obtained by TMZ, she says she's concerned about the kid's safety due to Antonio's drug addiction.

Cheryl claims Antonio has struggled with prescription drugs ... specifically benzodiazepines -- a class of drugs that includes muscle relaxers, anti-anxiety meds and sleep disorder meds.

In her divorce docs, she says Antonio's admitted using crystal meth before they got together in 2009. She does, however, concede the birth of his daughter from another relationship motivated him to get sober.

Antonio tells TMZ ... he admits going to rehab for issues with sleeping pills. He's not trying to hide it, and says he's an outspoken advocate on addiction issues. However, he added, "Whatever else she says is just a bunch of lies."

A staunch Trump supporter ... Antonio filed docs last week to run for Congress and his platform will reportedly include dealing with the opioid crisis and drug addiction.

It wasn't a little slipup after all ... Jon Jones says he blew lines all weekend long before beating Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 back in 2015.

Jones said the drug bender was part of something he called "a month for the ages" -- explaining how he did a "weekend of cocaine" and then beat Cormier the following weekend.

FYI, Jones had previously admitted the cocaine use after the positive drug test was revealed back in '15 -- but played it down as a one-time slipup saying, "I'm not a cocaine addict by any means or not even a frequent user."

Cormier called Jones a junkie and accused him of also "sandblasting prostitutes" the same weekend. Jones denied sandblasting any prostitutes.

They will fight in July.

Ex-Dallas Cowboys linebacker, Rolando McClain, was arrested in Alabama on Friday after a routine traffic stop went south real fast.

Officials in Hartselle, AL say the 27-year-old former University of Alabama star was pulled over in a 2017 GMC truck around 1 PM for having illegal window tinting.

During the stop, the officer smelled weed and searched the vehicle -- turning up marijuana and a pistol for which he did not have a permit.

McClain was arrested and booked for possession of marijuana and carrying a concealed weapon. He was also cited for the window tint. Cops say he was cooperative during the arrest.

Bond's been set at $2,000.

"Love & Hip Hop Atlanta" star Tommie Lee got her ass booted off a plane, and it seems booze might be to blame.

The incident went down Wednesday night in Atlanta, and according to witnesses, security and flight attendants approached Tommie shortly before takeoff. We're told she was calm during the 10-minute convo and ultimately got off without a fight.

We're told Tommie had a wine glass in her hand when she boarded, and at least one witness says she was asked to leave it in the terminal. She didn't and breezed onto the jet anyway ... until it became a thing.

The incident delayed flight 1949 to Miami for 34 minutes. A rep for Tommie insists she was NOT drunk, and adds ... Tommie was kicked off for crying about a friend's recent death ... which would be a weird move on the airline's part.

We've reached out to airport security and the airline to get their side.

Much more peaceful ending this time, compared to the last Delta flight we covered.

Scott Disick's hitting the bottle HARD again and his friends think he's so far gone the only solution is rehab.

Our Scott sources tell us he's been in a downward spiral since learning baby mama Kourtney Kardashian is banging 23-year-old model Younes Bendjima.

Scott's been trying for a long time to resurrect his relationship with Kourtney. As we reported, he feels betrayed because he says she's been dangling a carrot that she'd get back with him if he stopped drinking -- which he did. When he found out about the model, he lost it. Scott hit up TAO on Cinco de Mayo and he was at The Peppermint Club Monday night.

On the surface it seems Scott's just fine ... because he's been hooking up with 19-year-old Ella Ross, but his friends say it's just a get-back relationship ... getting back at Kourtney.

We're told his house has been a non-stop, alcohol-fueled party for weeks ... a party he sometime takes to the clubs.

We broke the story, Scott is starring in a home-flipping pilot executive produced by Kris Jenner. As for how his drinking mixes with shooting a show, his friends say he's been doing that for years.