The following is a list of notable personalities who have been or are believed to have been addicted to heroin (or other opiates) at some point during their lives.

Actors / Actresses / Models / Directors

• Nick Adams (actor)
• Bridgette Andersen (actress)
• John Drew Barrymore (actor)
• John Belushi (actor, comedian)
• Timothy Carey (actor)
• Seymour Cassel (actor)
• Montgomery Clift (actor)
• Jean Cocteau (writer, filmmaker)
• Jackie Curtis (actor)
• Robert Downey Jr. (actor)
• Jeanne Eagels (actress)
• Chris Farley (actor)
• Whoopi Goldberg (actress)
• Dennis Hopper (actor, director)
• Brion James (actor)
• Peter Lorre (actor)
• Bela Lugosi (actor)
• Jason Mewes (actor)
• Kate Moss (actress, model)
• River Phoenix (actor)
• Miguel Piñero (writer, actor)
• Daniel Pollock (actor)
• Nicholas Ray (film director)
• Mickey Rourke (actor)
• Winona Ryder (actress)
• Martin Scorsese (director)
• Ray Sharkey (actor)
• Tom Sizemore (actor)
• Christian Slater (actor)
• Olive Thomas (actress)
• Gia Carangi (model)
• Althea Leasure (model)

Musicians / Singers / Songwriters / Composers

• Art Alexakis (musician)
• Gregg Allman (musician)
• Gene Ammons (musician)
• Phil Anselmo (musician)
• Chet Baker (musician)
• Michael Balzary a.k.a. Flea (musician)
• Art Blakey (musician)
• Mike Bloomfield (musician)
• Graham Bond (musician)
• Lenny Breau (musician)
• Tim Buckley (singer-songwriter)
• Paul Butterfield (musician)
• John Cale (musician)
• Nick Cave (musician)
• Serge Chaloff (musician)
• Paul Chambers (musician)
• Ray Charles (singer)
• Charlie Christian (musician)
• Eric Clapton (musician)
• Sonny Clark (musician)
• Kurt Cobain (musician)
• John Coltrane (musician)
• David Crosby (musician)
• Tadd Dameron (musician/arranger)
• Evan Dando (musician)
• Miles Davis (musician)
• Dion DiMucci (singer)
• Pete Doherty (musician)
• Bob Dylan (singer-songwriter)
• Bill Evans (musician, pianist)
• Bob Ezrin (music producer)
• Marianne Faithfull (singer, actress)
• Perry Farrell (singer)
• Ace Frehley (musician)
• John Frusciante (musician)
• Jerry Garcia (musician)
• Dave Gahan (musician)
• Boy George (singer)
• Stan Getz (musician)
• Bobby Gillespie (singer)
• Dwayne Goettel (composer)
• Dexter Gordon (musician)
• Grant Green (musician)
• Wardell Grey (musician)
• Joe Guy (musician)
• Charlie Haden (musician)
• Tim Hardin (singer/songwriter)
• Hampton Hawes (musician)
• Tubby Hayes (musician)
• Billie Holiday (singer)
• Saul Hudson a.k.a. Slash (musician)
• Milt Jackson (musician)
• Brian James (musician)
• Joan Jett (musician)
• Elvin Jones (musician)
• Mick Jones (musician)
• Philly Joe Jones (musician)
• Steve Jones (musician)
• Janis Joplin (singer)
• Antony Kiedis (musician)
• Paul Kossoff (musician)
• John Lennon (musician)
• Julian Lennon (singer)
• Courtney Love (musician, actress)
• Phil Lynott (musician)
• Brad Mehldau (musician)
• Jose Monje Cruz a.k.a. Camaron de la Isla - singer
• Frank Morgan (musician)
• Lee Morgan (musician)
• Jim Morrison (musician)
• Gerry Mulligan (musician)
• Dave Mustaine (musician)
• Fats Navarro (musician)
• Jerry Nolan (musician)
• Bradley Nowell (musician)
• Anita O'Day (singer)
• Yoko Ono (singer)
• Jimmy Page (musician)
• Charlie "Bird" Parker (musician)
• Joe Pass (musician)
• Christa Päffgen a.k.a. Nico (singer, actress, model)
• "Little" Richard Penniman (singer)
• Art Pepper (musician)
• Carl Perkins (musician)
• Joe Perry (musician)
• Esther Phillips (singer)
• John Phillips (musician)
• Iggy Pop (singer, actor)
• Bud Powell (musician)
• Elvis Presley (singer)
• Ike Quebec (musician)
• Robert Quine (musician)
• Dee Dee Ramone (musician)
• Lou Reed (musician)
• Emily Remler (musician)
• Keith Richards (musician)
• Max Roach (musician)
• Red Rodney (musician)
• Sonny Rollins (musician)
• Axl Rose (musician)
• Shaun Ryder (musician)
• Bon Scott (musician)
• Nikki Sixx (musician)
• Hillel Slovak (musician)
• Elliott Smith (musician)
• Layne Staley (musician)
• Sonny Stitt (musician)
• Gabor Szabo (musician)
• James Taylor (musician)
• Johnny Thunders (musician)
• Pete Townshend (musician)
• Richard Twardzik (musician)
• Steven Tyler (musician)
• Sid Vicious (musician)
• Scott Weiland (singer)
• Tony Williams (musician)
• Brian Wilson (musician)
• Mike Doughty (musician)
• Darby Crash (musician)

Writers / Poets / Journalists

• William S. Burroughs (writer)
• Max Cantor (journalist)
• Samuel Taylor Coleridge (poet)
• Sigmund Freud (psychiatrist, writer)
• John Keats (poet)
• Ken Kesey (writer)
• Rush Limbaugh (writer, political commentator)
• Jack London (writer)
• Friedrich Nietzsche (philosopher, writer)
• Edgar Allan Poe (writer)
• Thomas de Quincy (writer) Confessions of an English Opium Eater
• Françoise Sagan (writer)
• Sir Walter Scott (writer, poet)
• Hubert Selby Jr. (writer)
• Will Self (writer)
• Jerry Stahl (writer)
• Robert Louis Stevenson (writer)
• Alexander Trocchi (writer)
• William Wilberforce (writer, anti-slavery campaigner)
• Wilkie Collins (writer)

Artists / Painters

• Jean-Michel Basquiat (artist)
• Francis Picabia (painter)
• Pablo Picasso (painter)
• Santiago Rusiñol (painter)

Politicians / Rulers / Royals

• Marcus Aurelius (emperor, philosopher)
• Benjamin Franklin (inventor, statesman)
• Ulysses S. Grant (US president, general)
• Hermann Göring (Nazi Reichsmarschall)
• Joseph McCarthy (senator)

Athletes / Olympians

• Bobby Chacon (boxer)
• Sonny Liston (boxer)
• Joe Louis (boxer)
• Todd Marinovich (football player)
• Sugar Ray Robinson (boxer)
• Barney Ross (boxer)

Other Celebrities

• Lenny Bruce (comedian)
• Aleister Crowley (occultist)
• The Pigeons (occultist)
• Harold Shipman (Doctor, Serial Killer)
• Mitch Hedberg (comedian)