The Forbidden Romance That Stevie Nicks Says Saved Her Life

Stevie Nicks is best known for her iconic music and witchy style, but she also had a number of whirlwind love affairs in her life, many of which made headlines.

Perhaps the best known of Nicks' relationships is her tumultuous, torturous, and creatively generative relationship with Lindsey Buckingham, which culminated in the legendary "Rumours." She also dated Don Henley and Joe Walsh of the Eagles, as well as producers Jimmy Iovine and Rupert Hine, and was briefly married to Kim Anderson, per CheatSheet.

Though Nicks has been fairly candid about her relationships, there's one lover who she won't name, despite the fact that she credits him with saving her life. This person came into Nicks' life during a particularly vulnerable time, per CheatSheet. In 1986, Nicks was prescribed Klonopin after leaving rehab for her reported cocaine addiction. Klonopin, a tranquilizer, took eight years of Nicks' own life, in her own words.

"It's a very subtle drug — you just don't feel it much, or so you think," Nicks told The Guardian. "On the bottle, it says, 'Take as needed.' That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. So you think: 'Well, I need it every two hours.' It's addiction in a bottle."

For eight years, Nicks existed in a state of numb apathy. "I just existed," she said. "It took away all my wonderful drama, my tempestuousness, my compassion, my empathy — all those things that drove me to my piano. I say to myself now: 'How did you survive eight years without your wonderful drama?'"

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

In the early 1990s, Stevie Nicks reportedly went to rehab for a Klonopin addiction. Shortly after leaving rehab, a newly sober Nicks went out on tour with Fleetwood Mac.

That tour was "not a good time ... I was freaked out," Nicks told The Guardian. "In rehab, when you're leaving, the last thing they say to you is, 'Don't get married, don't sign contracts, don't buy a house, don't sell a house. Nothing heavy.' Because your judgment is impaired. You're a shell. And you need to go out there and find out who you are, not on tranquilizers."

Yet, on the tour, Nicks had help in the form of a lover. "So you walk out into the world, and you are a different person," she said. "And we were going on a tour, and I was terrified. Terrified. And this person just sort of hung with me through that tour and buffered me from the world. And he did save my life."

Nicks references the experience in the song "For What Its Worth," which appeared on the album "In Your Dream," in which she mentions a "forbidden" romance that "saved my life."

Despite all her lovers, Nicks' greatest love has always remained her music, and today the 73-year-old legend enjoys a creatively fulfilling single life. "When I was 20, 30, 40, I always had a boyfriend — always," she told Rolling Stone. "But I have decided I'm just going to be free and follow my muse and do whatever I want."

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).