10 Celebrities You Didn’t Know Were Schizophrenic

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that, for many, can make it difficult to discern reality from hallucination, to think clearly, and even to express emotions. With the proper combination of treatments, one suffering from the disorder can lead a mostly normal life. These famous people prove it’s possible to overcome the adversity of mental illness and achieve phenomenal success. Here are 10 celebrities you didn’t know were diagnosed schizophrenic — some posthumously.


10. Jack Kerouac



The famous author of the American classic “On the Road” spent a brief time in the U.S. military. A Navy doctor determined he had “dementia praecox,” today known as schizophrenia. His enlistment lasted just 10 months and Kerouac left the military to begin his career as one of the greatest writers of the Beat Generation. Upon his discharge, the diagnosis was changed. It was then noted that he might display some “schizoid tendencies.”

9. Zelda Fitzgerald



Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of the famous author of “The Great Gatsby,” was known to go into fits of paranoia, especially regarding her husband’s alleged unfaithfulness. In 1930, she was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

8. Lionel Aldridge



Aldridge enjoyed an 11-year career in the NFL playing for the Green Bay Packers and the San Diego Chargers. Aldridge retired from professional football in 1973 and worked as a sports analyst until being diagnosed in the late ’70s with paranoid schizophrenia — a sub-type of schizophrenia and the most common type.

7. John Hinckley, Jr.



John Hinckley, Jr. was the man who attempted to assassinate president Ronald Reagan in 1981. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Hinckley’s lawyer claimed he was schizophrenic and he had been diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder, a disorder that shares many of the same symptoms as schizophrenia.

6. Buddy Bolden



Buddy Bolden was a highly regarded jazz musician in the early 1900s. He was said by many to be one of the creators of ragtime music. In 1907, Bolden was diagnosed with dementia praecox, known today as schizophrenia.

5. Vincent van Gogh



Vincent Van Gogh (1853–1890) lived in a time when schizophrenia had not yet been identified as a disorder, but many medical professionals today believe the famous artist and painter suffered from it. His unstable moods and eccentric personality led 150 doctors to venture diagnoses. He had recurring psychotic episodes in the last two years of his phenomenal life, and at age 37, committed suicide.

4. Darrell Hammond



Hammond was a Saturday Night Live cast member from 1995 to 2009, making him one of the longest-standing actors in the show. Hammond revealed on a 2011 CNN interview that his mother had abused him as a child. Some people speculate this could have triggered his schizophrenia later in life. He is most famous for his hilarious impersonations of President Bill Clinton.

3. Wesley Willis



Wesley Willis was a singer-songwriter and visual artist who appeared on MTV and on The Howard Stern Show. Willis was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1989, but it was after his diagnosis that his career took off. The artist gained a cult following that loved his strange and funny lyrics, inspired or fueled, perhaps, by his disorder. Famous for greeting fans with a head butt, he was diagnosed with chronic leukemia. He died in 2003 at age 40.

2. Brian Wilson



Brian Wilson is a front man for the musical group The Beach Boys. He produced the album “Pet Sounds,” considered one of the greatest albums in music history. Wilson suffers from auditory hallucinations, meaning he hears voices, and has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. He is working on a new album.

1. Veronica Lake



Veronica Lake was a famous film noir actress in the 1940s and is well known for her role in the film “Sullivan’s Travels.” Lake was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a child and was known for some dramatic and even violent outbursts in adulthood.

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