Tyler checked into rehab
By Carol Beggy
Globe Staff / May 21, 2008
Boston Globe

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has checked into a drug rehabilitation clinic in Pasadena, Calif., according to the celebrity website TMZ.com.

Responding to a query from The Boston Globe, Mitch Schneider, spokesman for Tyler and the band, said in an e-mail: "I don't know anything about it and have left word with the band's management."

Tyler, 60, was in Las Encinas Hospital's rehab program yesterday getting treatment for "substance abuse," according to TMZ.com. (It's the same facility where the reality show "Celebrity Rehab" was filmed.)

Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry were often called the "Toxic Twins" because of their hard-partying rock 'n' roll lifestyle. But in recent years, Tyler and the other members of Aerosmith had been outspoken about cleaning up their lives.

In 2001, the same year the Boston-based band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Tyler had a wing at a Roxbury rehab clinic center named in his honor for his financial and outspoken support of Victory Programs, a Boston-based agency that works with individuals and families facing homelessness, addiction, and chronic illnesses.

Tyler was even able to joke about dealing with past demons. In a 2002 interview with the Globe, Tyler explained his willingness to do a "Got Milk?" ad: "Hey, if it's funny enough, do it. I mean, I would do an ad for rehab if they used [our song] `Take Me to the Farm.' One thing I learned from the '80s is that it's good to have a sense of humor."