Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler turns 75

With hits like "Walk This Way" and "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," Aerosmith enjoyed worldwide success and filled stadiums.

Out front was larger-than-life Steven Tyler with his long mane, eccentric outfits and powerful voice. Rising several octaves to a high-pitched scream, his voice earned Tyler the nickname, "Demon of Screamin'."

Tyler was 21-years-old in 1970 when he formed the band Aerosmith with friend and guitarist, Joe Perry. They were inspired by the songwriter duos Mick Jagger and Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones; and John Lennon and Paul McCartney from the Beatles.

In 1973 the debut album "Aerosmith" was released with their first classic hit "Dream On." The album went close to reach the top of the charts.

"Toys in The Attic" came two years later, the album catapulting the band into stadiums with the hit "Walk This Way."

Drugs and rock'n'roll

Tyler was always a great performer. Androgynous and provocative, he swung his mic stand around like a baton and excited the audience with his tight overalls. He often stage-dived but at one point the band put a grille up between the stage and the fans.

Success was coupled with drug abuse. Tyler started smoking marijuana at age 16, with cocaine later added to his list of vices. Tyler lived the life of a rock star to the fullest, spending millions on drugs in his lifetime, he once said in an interview.

But the drugs ultimately led to problems within the band. Tyler and Perry were nicknamed the "Toxic Twins." In an interview with German magazine Der Spiegel in 2017, Tyler said "we tried everything."

But music was his biggest drug. "I wouldn't be here today," he said, "I survived because Aerosmith has long been my only addiction, or music is the best drug – the high goes away, the songs stay." 

The big crisis came in the early 1980s when band members fell out with each other, Joe Perry and guitarist Brad Whitford leaving before rejoining a now sober Tyler in 1985.

A year later, they collaborated with American hip hop group Run DMC on a remake of "Walk This Way" that was a megahit.

The band started filling up stadiums again and topping the charts. They won Grammys and went platinum, with every album a top 10 success.

In 2012, Aerosmith released "Music from Another Dimension," which turned out to be their last album. Tyler later released a 2016 solo album, "We're All Somebody from Somewhere."

But Tyler recently had another drug relapse, with concerts canceled in July 2022. By the end of the year, there were further cancellations due to Tyler's poor health. No further gigs are planned.

Allegations of abuse against Tyler

Scandal has plagued Tyler's personal life. The chaos began with his relationship with underage Julia Holcomb when he was 27 and she was 16. 

He adopted Holcomb so she could accompany him on tours. Tyler allegedly coerced her to have an abortion when she was five months pregnant. He wrote openly about the relationship in his memoir, "Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?," which was published in 2012.

Half a century later, Holcomb filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against Tyler. A court in California has temporarily suspended a relevant statute of limitations for sexual abuse of minors. The case is ongoing.

Liv Tyler – a secret child

Tyler's tumultuous personal life includes his brief affair with singer and Playboy model Bebe Buel in the mid-1970s. They had a daughter, the actress Liv Tyler.

For a long time, Tyler hid the fact that he was Liv's father. She believed that her father was the rock musician Todd Rundgren, who was involved with Bebe Buell. Rundgren accepted paternity because Tyler was unable to raise a child due to his drug addiction. The two made a deal that they would tell Liv who her real father was on her 18th birthday.

However, she found out the truth when she was 11. A father-daughter relationship then developed which drew a lot of media attention. Liv appeared in Aerosmiths' 1994 Aerosmith music video "Crazy." This was her breakthrough and in 1998 she played the lead in the blockbuster "Armageddon," with Aerosmith singing the official soundtrack song, "I Don't Want To Miss Thing."

Tyler has married twice since and has two other daughters and a son.

Tyler Acting career

In addition to his career as a musician, Tyler also appeared on television and in movies, including "Wayne's World 2," "Be Cool" and "Two and a Half Men."

In 2006, Tyler underwent treatment for hepatitis C. Since then, he raised awareness about the dangers of liver illness.

He also supports "Sea Shepherd Conservation Society," an international organization dedicated to preserving biodiversity. In 2014, Tyler campaigned for more humane treatment of pigs and cattle.

In 2008, the music magazine Rolling Stone ranked Tyler 99th among the 100 best singers of all time.

Age apparently does not bother him. When Tyler turned 70, he joked to Der Spiegel that aging is not that bad as long as he's younger than Mick Jagger, who is five years older.

This article was translated from the German.