JOE COCKER - COCKER 'PHYSICALLY DAMAGED' BY DRUG AND ALCOHOL ADDICTION

Singer JOE COCKER was "physically damaged" after his performances in the 1970s because of his drug and alcohol addiction. The Up Where We Belong star admits his dependencies damaged his ability to play, and he brands a third of his gigs at the time 'rubbish'. He says, "I was living on a liquid diet. I would start drinking at 11 in the morning and be pretty wasted by the evening. "People have said that I played some amazing gigs in the Seventies, but in all honesty, I probably played one good show in three. I used to get so carried away while I was on stage that I'd be physically damaged by the end of a concert. "I had a problem with cocaine and then with heroin. I wasn't injecting heroin, I was only sniffing it. But I was still amazed at how quickly you could become addicted. As soon as I realised what was going on, I was able to move on. But it took its toll. I came close to the edge."