AXL ROSE - FAMOUS BIPOLAR MUSICIAN

Rose is the eldest child of Sharon Elizabeth and William Bruce Rose. His parents divorced when he was only two years old, prompting his father to kidnap and abuse him before vanishing from Lafayette. William Bruce Rose Sr. was murdered in Marion, Illinois, in 1984 by a criminal associate who was convicted even though the body was never recovered.

Rose’s mother remarried Stephen L. Bailey and changed Rose’s name to William Bruce Bailey. The Baileys’ household was religious. Rose later stated an oppressive upbringing. He accused his stepfather of abusing him and his siblings. Rose found refuge in music from the age of five. He was a school chorus member and performed as the Bailey Trio with his brother and sister. He then eventually formed a band with his friends.

Rose believed Bailey was his biological father until he was 17. He then found out about his biological father and unofficially readopted his birth name, so he referred to himself as W. Rose. After discovering his true family history, Rose became a juvenile delinquent in Lafayette. Rose relocated to Los Angeles, California, in December 1982 after Lafayette authorities threatened to charge him as a habitual criminal. He became so obsessed with his band AXL that his friends suggested he call himself Axl Rose. He formally changed his name to W. Axl Rose before signing a contract in March 1986 with Geffen Records.

During Rose’s late teens, a psychiatrist diagnosed that his behavior was evidence of psychosis, though he doubts he has the condition. He went to a clinic and was requested to take a 500-question and was diagnosed manic-depressive. According to Rose, he is emotional, sensitive, and gets upset easily. Rose was explosive and abused alcohol as a youth. Rose was put on lithium and had once undergone an anger management program. Rose also used hard drugs. He admitted using drugs but quit when Guns N’ Roses got successful. He said the drugs were not a habit but an occasional thing.

Rose began dating model Erin Everly in early 1986. They later got maried in Las Vegas on April 28, 1990. Rose filed for a divorce less than a month later. Rose, who hoped to start a family was devastated when she miscarried in October 1990. After an altercation Everly left Rose and the couple annulled their marriage in January 1991.

Rose began a relationship with supermodel Stephanie Seymour in mid-1991. She was featured in the music videos “Don’t Cry” and “November Rain”. Seymour and Rose got engaged In February 1993, but they broke up three weeks later.