Celebrities who have fallen from grace
Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius has been charged with murder in the death of his girlfriend at his South Africa home on Feb. 14. Take a look at Pistorius and other celebrities who have fallen from grace.
Pistorius will be named officially as the suspect in Reeva Steenkamp's shooting death when he appears in court on Feb. 15. Police say there have been allegations of previous domestic incidents at the home, though Several South African media outlets reported that the woman was mistaken for an intruder.
Pistorius, nicknamed the "Blade Runner," made history when he became the first Paralympian to compete in the able-bodied Olympics last year.
Pistorius will be named officially as the suspect in Reeva Steenkamp's shooting death when he appears in court on Feb. 15. Police say there have been allegations of previous domestic incidents at the home, though Several South African media outlets reported that the woman was mistaken for an intruder.
Pistorius, nicknamed the "Blade Runner," made history when he became the first Paralympian to compete in the able-bodied Olympics last year.
Lance Armstrong: After years of denials, Lance Armstrong admitted to doping in a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency accused Armstrong of doping and organizing a drug trafficking ring in June 2012, at which point he was banned from cycling and stripped of all titles he won since August 1998, including his seven Tour de France wins.
Baseball stars: Steroids was the self-destructive drug of choice for a number of major league baseball players. Here sluggers Sammy Sosa (left) Mark McGwire (center) and Rafael Palmeiro (right) appear together to offer testimony to Congress on steroid use in March 2005. McGwire in 2010 finally admitted using performance-enhancing drugs during his career.
In 2013, no baseball players were admitted to the Hall of Fame for the first time since 1996, which several baseball writers said was largely due to admissions and assumptions that various players had doped. The collective snub raised speculation about whether the steroids scandal meant players like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sosa, McGwire and others would ever get into the Hall of Fame.
Lindsay Lohan: The actress seems to be in a constant cycle of court appearances -- according to a count by CNN, she's been in court 19 times in the last six years. She was charged with four misdemeanors after officers said she crashed a car and resisted arrest in 2012 and was convicted of stealing a $2,500 necklace in 2011. She faces assault charges after allegedly punching a woman in a nightclub in November 2012. In 2010, Lohan was sentenced to jail twice and rehab twice, but her incarcerations were shortened by jail overcrowding.
Charlie Sheen: From call girls and a cocaine overdose to multiple rehab stints and accidentally shooting his former fiancee, trouble has seemingly followed Sheen since the 1990s. His recent run of bad luck started with a 2009 domestic dispute with his third wife that landed him back in rehab and on probation. In February 2011, CBS ultimately booted the actor from "Two and a Half Men" after Sheen lobbed insults at the show's creator and lead writer. He later made headlines again for his expletive-laced rant at a Staples Center security guard.
Anthony Weiner: This fiery New York congressman resigned after tweeting a picture of his boxer-covered genitals to a young woman in 2011. The married congressman initially denied knowing whether the photo was of him, but ultimately admitted to and apologized for the incident.
John Edwards: Edwards was a rising star in the Democratic Party when it was discovered he had a child with a campaign videographer during his 2008 presidential campaign. He and wife Elizabeth Edwards separated after news about the affair broke. They never reconciled, but there were reports Edwards was with his estranged wife when she died of breast cancer in 2010.
Tiger Woods: A car accident in late 2009 brought his marital infidelity to light. Despite a disciplined image, he had been cheating on his wife, and a number of women claimed to be his former mistresses. Woods lost his wife, some sponsors and all the golf tournaments he played in 2010 and in 2011. He then won three tournaments in 2012.
Mark Sanford: Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford was a rising star in the Republican Party when he went missing for several days in 2009. He initially claimed he was hiking the Appalachian Trail, but ultimately admitted he was having an affair with a woman in Argentina, who he described as his "soul mate." His wife filed for divorce later that year. Sanford is no longer in office, but has said he plans to run for his old congressional seat, which recently became empty when Rep. Tim Hass was appointed to the Senate. He is also engaged to his one-time mistress.
Mel Gibson: Aside from being arrested on a DUI charge and making anti-Semitic comments to a police officer in July 2006, he went on a rampage threatening former girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva and making racial slurs during taped conversations that surfaced in 2010. His most recent meltdown resulted in a restraining order, a domestic abuse investigation and his agency, William Morris Endeavor, dropping the one-time blockbuster actor.
Britney Spears: She raised eyebrows between 2007-08 when she shaved her head at a local salon, took an umbrella and smashed it against a paparazzo's car window, dated a paparazzo, exposed herself, checked into rehab, lost custody of her kids and locked herself in a bathroom with her children. Spears was also taken to UCLA Medical Center, where she underwent a mental evaluation and suicide watch for 72 hours. Soon after, her parents got a restraining order against her former manager. She is still under a conservatorship with her father and has made a remarkable comeback to the music scene since then.
Miley Cyrus: This teen queen has made plenty of headlines for her overly sexual exploits. In 2008, she appeared in a Vanity Fair photo in which she appeared to be topless (she was wrapped in a bedsheet), and then during a performance at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards, she incited a media uproar after briefly pole dancing. In 2010, video of Cyrus giving director/choreographer Adam Shankman a lap dance hit the Web. In December 2011, after a video hit the Internet showing her taking a bong hit of the natural herb salvia at a party.
Michael Jackson: In the '80s, the King of Pop was on top of the world with hit record after hit record. But in the '90s and until his death, he was dogged by child sex abuse allegations, two failed marriages, drug addition and bankruptcy. Physicians have also speculated that Jackson suffered from body dysmorphic disorder and underwent a series of cosmetic surgeries.
Dave Chappelle: In 2005, Chappelle abruptly walked away from his popular sketch comedy series and turned up in South Africa. In July 2010, a private plane was forced to land after Chappelle was deemed a safety risk after he reportedly refused to fasten his seat belt, made repeated visits to the cockpit and grabbed the pilot's arm.
Michael Vick: In 2007, the NFL star was sentenced to 23 months in prison after pleading guilty that August to a dogfighting conspiracy charge. The former No. 1 draft pick filed for bankruptcy in 2008 and in 2009, the Atlanta Falcons cut ties with him. Vick has since made a comeback -- he's back on the field as a star quarterback with the Philadelphia Eagles and partners with the Humane Society to speak to students about the evils of dog fighting.
Pete Rose: In 2004, former Cincinnati Reds player and manager Pete Rose admitted to betting on baseball games after years of accusations. He had been ruled ineligible for the Hall of Fame in 1989 due to the accusations.
Mariah Carey: In the summer of 2001, Carey made a bizarre appearance on MTV's "TRL," handing out popsicles and launching into a striptease of sorts. Just days later, she left rambling messages on her website that complained of being overworked. She was soon hospitalized for "extreme exhaustion." Carey has since married singer/actor Nick Cannon and the couple had twins in 2011.
Rip Torn: The actor who has starred in hit movies like "Men In Black" is seen here in a booking photo after he was involved in a two-car accident and refused to take a breathalyzer test in 2006. He was also convicted in 2009 in another drunken driving case. In 2010 he was arrested for allegedly breaking into the lobby of a Connecticut bank and entered rehab for alcohol abuse.
MC Hammer: Considered a hip hop innovator, MC Hammer skyrocketed to fame and fortune, but then also famously declared bankruptcy in 1996 and found himself in legal battles, including a fight with Rick James over copyright issues.
Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston: The couple wed in 1992 and their stormy 14-year marriage and run-ins with the law were tabloid fodder for years. His troubles included drugs, late child support payments, a drunk driving conviction and a 2003 accusation that he hit Houston. Drug-use rumors dogged Houston in the 1990s, and she memorably said in an interview that "Crack is whack." In 2012, Brown left Houston's funeral early after getting into a fight over seating with Houston's family.
Lil Wayne: The rapper who got his start as a child artist here arrives for a sentencing hearing in a firearms possession case in New York in February 2010. He was sentenced to eight months in jail.
Wesley Snipes: The popular actor met his downfall after facing an unlikely foe: the taxman. Here with his legal team in December 2006, Snipes began serving a three-year sentence in December 2010 for failing to file taxes.
Tonya Harding: Harding was a champion figure skater in the late 80s and early 90s, but she is remembered most for the cover-up of an attack orchestrated by her ex-husband and bodyguard on competitor Nancy Kerrigan in 1994. She ultimately pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to hinder prosecution of the attackers, though she has always said she didn't know about the attack beforehand and never wanted to keep Kerrigan from skating. She has had several minor run-ins with the law since then, and has also dabbled in boxing.
