Does anyone remember the blonde hottie, Jane Humphrey, from the cult classic series Gossip Girl? Unlike other, more mature-looking actors, Taylor Momsen was probably the only star who was able to fool the viewers into believing she was a teenage schoolgirl. Her miraculous off-screen transformation throughout six seasons had nothing to do with the wild imagination of the on-set stylists but rather with Taylor’s inner state of mind.
Over time, Taylor’s makeup got darker, her ash-colored hair longer, and her skirts shorter. This is what she got for playing the role of a cruel and vindictive b-word bullying people for their looks. This whole image later became her go-to stage look for Taylor Momsen’s band “The Pretty Reckless.” However, a few years ago, she went completely dark. Only a select few people had heard about her goings-on, and many fans felt that the young rock star had disappeared from show business due to heavy drug addiction or even something worse. But what really happened to Taylor?
Taylor Momsen has been suffering from depression and drug addiction since 2017, as she struggled to cope with the loss of her good friend and producer Chris Cornell from Soundgarden. The singer was on tour with Cornell when he committed suicide at the age of 52, which broke her mentally.
Opening for Soundgarden in 2017 was the ultimate reward for her. So the tragic end that marked the tour was absolutely devastating for the singer. The night Chris died, the bands were playing in Detroit. From her words, she spoke to him the night before, and then morning came. No one would be ready for such terrible news, especially not a close friend.
The lead singer of The Pretty Reckless canceled the rest of the tour to go home and grieve. She thought this was it — the worst day of her life. But less than a year later, she received a piece of even sadder news: one of her closest friends, Kato Khandwala, had died in a motorcycle crash at the age of 47. Hearing the news on the phone was the last straw for Taylor. It plunged her into a dark spiraling abyss of depression and drug abuse. We can only imagine what kinds of wicked thoughts were brewing in her head back then. But Taylor did pull through.
What helped Momsen dig herself out of his despair was working on Pretty Little Reckless’ new album — Death by Rock and Roll. The rock album was released in February of 2021 and even got great reviews from critics. The fans, of course, were on cloud nine and rejoiced when they witnessed the healing power of those rock chords.
So, in the end, Taylor was this close to giving up on her life, but the music saved her. It’s always been a constant in her life. Of course, none of that would have mattered if it wasn’t for the support of her close friends and family.
As to her current plans, she’s likely going to follow up the last album with some new singles and maybe even appear in a few movie and TV cameos here and there, so stay tuned and keep your eyes peeled!
