We all have done things at some point or another in our lives that we regret — some are big regrets and some are not so big — but the fact of the matter is that most of us have them. Rick James was no different…and although he lived his colorful life unapologetically, there was one mistake he wished he could take back. It involved his beloved mother.

Rick James’ Big Regret

In his memoir, “Glow,” the “Superfreak” hitmaker confessed the following:

“I had OD’d in Buffalo and was rushed to the hospital where the doctors quickly brought me back to life. I was kept there for observation. Without warning, I decided to get up and leave. My Mom had come to the hospital to stop me from leaving. When she saw me getting dressed to leave, we got into a yelling match. I pushed my Mom to the floor just to get her out of my way. As I looked down and saw my beautiful little mother on the floor, I knew my life was terribly, terribly wrong. I never forgave myself for that moment.”                                    

James’ mother died shortly thereafter. The death of his mom so depressed him that he revealed he’d become a recluse in his own bedroom, and lost himself in drugs.

Other Celebs Who’ve Confessed Regretful Moments

Rick James as we all know, is by far not the only superstar to have  as a result of drugs. Many celebs have unfortunately had their moments, such as Martin Lawrence, or George Clinton, for example.

Remember Martin Lawrence’s situation after he’d admittedly smoked some bad weed? He was subsequently caught by police walking the street stripped down, in a delusional state as a result. A witness, who said he was an acquaintance of Lawrence, said the actor was cursing, waving his hands and yelling, “Fight the establishment!” Martin reportedly ran out onto a busy street when police arrived and tried to fight them off when they attempted to restrain him.

Heavy drug use was common for a touring funk band during the 1970s…but for George “P-Funk” Clinton, it was crack that took the biggest toll on him. He once spent a night in jail with Sly Stone after being busted for possession in a Denny’s parking lot.

In his book, George Clinton also recalled an incident when a then-teenage Chelsea Clinton (Bill and Hillary Clinton’s daughter) went backstage after his concert to take a photo with him (shown above). For George, that didn’t go so smoothly. Startled by the Secret Service, the P-Funk legend said that he was forced to conceal a red-hot crack pipe in one hand while shaking the then-first daughter’s hand with the other. He’s been clean for several decades years now and regrets his heavy drug use of yesteryear.

George Clinton also has a whole new outlook on life: “One of the best things about getting off crack is not waking up in the morning and thinking about where you’re gonna get it,” he concludes.

Moral of the story is: life comes at us fast…but the beauty is in the wisdom we gain from the mistakes we’ve made — that’s priceless.