El DeBarge has always been known for his signature high pitched voice ever since he dominated the airwaves with his siblings in the ’80s.
Unfortunately, El also became known for his admittedly 22-year crack and heroine addiction. After El served 2 years in prison on drug related charges, he came back out in 2010 like a new man — clean, sober, with a new album, and a voice that was just as flawless as it was back in the day. Then, things took a turn for the worse and two celebs whom many would least expect actually stepped in and saved El from a crack and heroine relapse in 2012.
50 CENT & BABYFACE RESCUED EL DEBARGE FROM DRUG RELAPSE
El DeBarge spoke to V103, in Atlanta, a while back and revealed the time he almost relapsed in 2012, but was literally saved by rapper/actor, 50 Cent; and R&B legend, Babyface. El devised his own intervention, and here’s what he said 50 and Babyface did next:
“I had my own intervention, I felt like I was about to go and pick up some drugs again. I could almost feel the taste in my mouth. When I was busy, when I was on the road doing things, I just didn’t have that taste…didn’t have that sensation. Once you sit down and you get some time with yourself, then you know who you REALLY are.
So I called 50 Cent up and I called Babyface up and I said ‘You guys gotta help me man.’ And 50 came to my rescue, he took me over to Babyface, who met me over at Interscope and they sent me to a place called the Harbor House in Jackson, MS. They said get out of L.A. I was there for 6 weeks. […] That’s another reason why you didn’t hear from me, I was in a treatment center.”
El deserves a round of applause for recognizing his triggers and having enough will to seek help.
UNFORTUNATELY EL DEBARGE WAS ALSO ARRESTED IN 2012, HERE’S WHY…
El’s call for help from 50 Cent and Babyface probably came after he was arrested in L.A. in 2012.
Undercover police officers saw El talking to a man on the street and thought a suspicious sale was going down.They searched El, but didn’t find anything on him, but they did find a small bag of crack cocaine underneath a nearby car. The dude El was talking to, claimed that he was buying the crack from El, so police booked El and he bailed out of jail the same night for $30,000. The charges were eventually dropped because there was not “enough sufficient evidence.”
Wow…so glad to see that El DeBarge has made it through. Wishing the brotha much continued success with his sobriety.
