Rockstars Who Didn’t Care And Destroyed Their Love Lives

Rockstars have long been icons of rebellion and excess, often celebrated for their bold defiance of convention. Yet, their personal lives tell a different story. One aspect of their fame that seems almost inevitable is the destruction of their relationships, especially when it comes to fidelity. Whether it’s the allure of fame or the chaos of touring, many rock stars find it hard to resist the temptation that comes with their lifestyle.

This repeated pattern of infidelity has been a part of rock history for decades. From wild onstage performances to encounters with adoring fans, some rockstars’ personal lives have been defined by their inability to remain faithful. In many cases, these choices lead to painful, high-profile breakups and broken homes.

But what drives this relentless cycle? Is it the freedom they crave, the pressure of their fame, or a simple disregard for the consequences? Here are a few rock stars who took the plunge, and whose relationships paid the price for it.

Mick Jagger

Mick Jagger was notorious for his wild partying and womanizing, but in 1971, he seemed ready to settle down. Just nine months after meeting actress Bianca Perez-Mora Macias at a concert in Paris, Jagger married her. However, it became clear almost immediately that the rock star had no plans of altering his behavior. Bianca later described her wedding night as one spent alone in their honeymoon suite while Jagger celebrated with other guests.

Both Jagger and Bianca had affairs throughout their marriage, but Jagger’s relationship with model Jerry Hall in 1977 was the breaking point. The couple was photographed together in Paris, sparking Bianca to file for divorce. Her frustration with the rock-and-roll lifestyle was clear, as she stated that the music industry was “the most male-chauvinistic-oriented society.”

In an interview years later, Bianca summed up her experience, calling a rock star the “worst husband a woman could have.” Jagger’s refusal to change and his ongoing infidelities ultimately shattered their relationship.

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Ringo Starr

In the early 1960s, as The Beatles were becoming global superstars, Ringo Starr met Maureen Cox, a local teenager from Liverpool. She was a regular at their Cavern Club performances, and the two began a relationship. Maureen later reflected on their romance, recalling how, at just 16, she was dating the most popular drummer in town.

By February 1965, the couple married after Maureen became pregnant. Although they had three children together, their marriage was strained by Starr’s excessive drinking and philandering. His day-long binges with other rock stars and a notorious affair with Nancy Lee Andrews in 1974 ultimately led to their separation.

The emotional toll of the divorce was immense for Maureen, who was devastated by the breakup. In fact, she became so distraught that she nearly took her own life. Ringo’s infidelities had destroyed not only their marriage but also her emotional well-being.

Travis Barker

Blink-182’s history has been filled with turmoil, and one of the most painful chapters involved drummer Travis Barker and his wife, Shanna Moakler. After surviving a near-fatal plane crash in 2008, Barker briefly reconciled with Moakler while recovering in the hospital. However, their reunion was soon shattered by shocking discoveries.

While Barker was still hospitalized, Moakler found his laptop, which revealed messages and explicit images from other women. These messages spanned several years, including from the year before the crash, and detailed Barker’s infidelities during their troubled marriage. Barker later admitted that although they were often on and off, he never intended to tell her about the affairs.

The painful truth came to light, and the brief moment of reconciliation ended in betrayal. Barker’s actions destroyed any hope of rebuilding their relationship, leaving Moakler heartbroken once again.

Sonny Bono

Sonny and Cher became cultural icons in the 1960s and 1970s, scoring hits like “I Got You Babe” and starring in The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. While Cher’s rise to fame helped boost Sonny’s career, it also enabled some of his worst habits. Sonny became a notorious womanizer, with Cher later admitting that stardom turned him into someone who needed constant validation from other women.

As Sonny’s infidelities grew, Cher found herself trapped in a toxic relationship. By the time she realized the extent of his behavior, their careers were so intertwined that leaving him seemed impossible. Cher even faced thoughts of suicide due to the emotional strain, but she eventually decided she couldn’t keep living in that way.

In 1974, Cher finally made the difficult decision to end their marriage. Their professional partnership ended two years later, marking the official end of their relationship both personally and professionally.

Thurston Moore

Sonic Youth was a pioneering experimental noise rock band, driven by the creative energy of Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon. The pair married in 1984, and their collaboration within the band lasted over two decades. However, Moore’s ongoing affair ultimately led to the breakdown of both their marriage and the band.

Eva Prinz, a book editor, entered their lives when she began dating a member of the Sonic Youth family. Prinz and Moore started collaborating on a book project, which led to a close working relationship. Gordon soon discovered that they were more than just colleagues when she found evidence of their romantic involvement.

When Gordon confronted Moore about the affair, he initially denied it, but after being caught, he admitted to the relationship. Despite his promise to end it, Moore didn’t follow through, and in late 2011, both their marriage and Sonic Youth came to an end.

Sting

The Police became one of the biggest bands of the late ’70s, with lead singer and songwriter Gordon Sumner, known as Sting, at the helm. By the time the band found success in 1978, Sting was already married to Frances Tomelty, the mother of his first child, Joe. However, their marriage would soon face turmoil.

In 1977, Sting and Tomelty lived near actor Trudie Styler, who became friends with Tomelty. By 1981, Sting and Styler’s friendship blossomed into a secret relationship, which Sting later confirmed publicly. This affair led to Styler’s pregnancy in 1983, while Sting was still married, and Tomelty had just given birth to their second child.

Despite the complications, Sting and Tomelty remained together until 1984 when divorce proceedings were filed. After an “awful separation,” Sting married Styler in 1992, marking the end of his first marriage and a new chapter in his personal life.

Dave Grohl

Dave Grohl, the Nirvana drummer turned Foo Fighters frontman, has had his share of personal struggles alongside his musical triumphs. His first marriage to photographer Jennifer Youngblood ended in 1997, reportedly due to his infidelity. The fallout wasn’t just personal—Foo Fighters guitarist Pat Smear, a close friend of Youngblood, left the band for several years, citing discomfort with the situation.

Throughout the ’90s, Grohl’s romantic life remained tumultuous. He ended his relationship with Veruca Salt’s Louise Post to pursue actor Winona Ryder and later left snowboarder Tina Bastich after two years for someone else. In August 2024, Grohl revealed on Instagram that he’d fathered a child outside his 21-year marriage to Jordyn Blum. While expressing love for his family, he admitted he was working to rebuild their trust and find a way forward.

The revelation led to Foo Fighters canceling tour dates and announcing a hiatus. It marked another difficult chapter in Grohl’s life, blending personal challenges with professional repercussions for the iconic band.

Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen’s global stardom skyrocketed with Born in the U.S.A., which sold 17 million copies and produced seven top 10 singles. Amid this frenzy, he met model and actor Julianne Phillips in late 1984 at his own concert, leading to a whirlwind romance and a secret wedding in Oregon in May 1985. Despite the idyllic nature of their marriage, Springsteen admitted in his memoir Born to Run that his lingering anxiety and “paranoid delusions” pushed him to doubt Phillips’ intentions, unfairly convincing himself she might be using him for fame.

During this period, Springsteen found himself drawn to Patti Scialfa, a fellow musician in his E Street Band. He described Scialfa as someone who truly understood his life on the road and shared his artistic perspective. Her presence offered a sense of familiarity and grounding that his marriage with Phillips lacked.

By 1989, Springsteen’s marriage to Phillips ended in divorce. Two years later, he married Scialfa, beginning a new chapter with someone who not only knew his world but had been part of it from the start. Their relationship has since become a cornerstone of his personal and professional life.

Tommy Lee 

Motley Crue’s legendary debauchery cemented their status as hard rock’s most indulgent band, with drummer Tommy Lee often leading the charge. In the 1980s, Lee’s relationships with high-profile women made headlines. After his first marriage to model Elaine Starchuk ended in 1986, Lee quickly married TV star Heather Locklear. The marriage lasted seven years, with Lee attributing its collapse to his infidelity. He candidly admitted to “f***ing with porno stars,” estimating his conquests at around 200.

Lee’s next marriage to Baywatch icon Pamela Anderson was even more tumultuous. From 1995 to 1998, their union was plagued by scandal, including the theft and distribution of their infamous homemade sex tape. The public fallout added pressure to an already fragile relationship.

The breaking point came with Lee’s physical abuse of Anderson, an incident that led to his arrest while she held their infant son. Convicted of battery, Lee served six months in prison. The marriage ended soon after, leaving behind a legacy of tabloid drama and turmoil that still lingers in the public memory.

Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton’s infamous reputation among musicians partly stems from his entanglement with George Harrison’s wife, Pattie Boyd. Boyd met Harrison during the filming of A Hard Day’s Night and married him in 1966. Clapton, captivated by Boyd after a Cream concert in 1967, struggled to suppress his feelings. He ended his relationship with model Charlotte Martin and channeled his longing into music, penning songs like “Layla” and “Bell Bottom Blues” with Derek and the Dominos.

Boyd’s marriage to Harrison crumbled under the weight of his affairs, leading her to leave him in 1974. Shortly after, she and Clapton became a couple and married in 1979. However, their union was marred by Clapton’s substance abuse. Boyd detailed his relentless drinking habits in her memoir Wonderful Tonight, describing how he consumed alcohol daily until his manager forced him to stop.

Clapton entered rehab in 1982 but couldn’t maintain sobriety for long. His drinking escalated to dangerous levels, creating an unbearable environment for Boyd. In 1984, after an incident where Clapton drank himself unconscious, Boyd made the difficult decision to leave, marking the end of their turbulent relationship.

Neal Schon

Journey guitarist Neal Schon has been a constant in the band since its inception, but his personal life has been far less steady. Schon’s romantic history includes five marriages, with his fifth beginning under controversial circumstances while he was still entangled in a complicated union with his fourth wife.

In July 2011, Schon married former Playboy model Ava Fabian, but the relationship unraveled just two months later. Reports surfaced that “The Real Housewives of D.C.” star Michaele Salahi had gone missing and was found with Schon, reigniting a prior romance between the two. Fabian filed for divorce, claiming Schon’s affair with Salahi predated their wedding and accusing him of betraying her trust.

Adding to the chaos, Fabian sued Schon for financial support, alleging he left her with physical injuries and spread damaging rumors. Schon argued their Paris wedding wasn’t legally binding in the U.S., complicating the palimony claim. The legal and emotional fallout highlighted the instability in Schon’s personal relationships, even as his musical career thrived.

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Ike Turner

Ike Turner was instrumental in shaping rock and roll, contributing to the 1951 hit “Rocket ’88’,” considered by many as the first rock n’ roll song. His fame skyrocketed after meeting Anna Mae Bullock, whom he renamed Tina Turner. Together, they created the electrifying duo Ike and Tina Turner, dominating the charts in the 1970s with hits like “Proud Mary” and “Nutbush City Limits.”

Behind the scenes, their relationship was marred by violence and control. Ike reportedly subjected Tina to severe physical and emotional abuse. Tina detailed in her memoir how he repeatedly assaulted her, leaving her to perform with injuries. She described their intimate moments as coercive and filled with anger, further emphasizing the toxic nature of their marriage.

The abuse culminated in Tina’s escape in 1976, marking the end of their tumultuous partnership. Her departure was a turning point, allowing her to rebuild her life and career on her terms, while the legacy of their music remains overshadowed by the harrowing details of their personal lives.