Andrew Lloyd Webber Reveals He Is a Recovering Alcoholic, Says He 'Secretly' Drank for Years After Telling People He Had Quit
Andrew Lloyd Webber Reveals He Is a Recovering Alcoholic, Says He 'Secretly' Drank for Years After Telling People He Had Quit
Toria SheffieldSat, April 18, 2026 at 9:34 PM UTC
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Andrew Lloyd Webber at the Tony Awards in N.Y.C. on June 8, 2025Credit: John Nacion/Variety via Getty -
Andrew Lloyd Webber has revealed he is a recovering alcoholic
The legendary composer, 78, said he briefly stopped drinking in 2015, then continued drinking in secret for nearly a decade
Lloyd Webber opened up about his previously private battle with alcohol in a new interview with The Times published on Saturday, April 18
Andrew Lloyd Webber has revealed that he’s a recovering alcoholic, sharing that he secretly drank for years after he claimed to have quit.
Lloyd Webber, 78, opened up about his journey with alcohol during a candid interview with The Times published on Saturday, April 18.
“I am a recovering alcoholic,” he said while speaking to the outlet, adding, “Sixteen months ago I decided that I needed help and it’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”
The legendary composer said he previously stopped drinking while producing School of Rock on Broadway between 2015 to 2016, but said looking back, he didn’t establish the proper support systems to guide him through the process.
Andrew Lloyd Webber in his apartment in New York on Oct. 7, 1982Credit: Jack Vartoogian/Getty
“I was doing what they call ‘white-knuckling,’ without any backup,” he explained.
Lloyd Webber said that he also began to fear that perhaps drinking — a lifelong habit — was part of what made him so prolific professionally.
“I started to worry that I wasn’t being creative. And I thought, ‘But I’ve said to everybody that I’m not drinking.’ So I started to drink secretly,” he recalled.
However, the musical theater icon said that it was clear to many people in his life that he was still drinking.
Andrew Lloyd Webber and his wife, Madeleine Lloyd Webber, at the 78th Annual Tony Awards in N.Y.C. on June 8, 2025Credit: John Nacion/Variety via Getty
“You think it’s secret, but it’s not. Everybody knows,” he said.
Lloyd Webber went on to share that he started to go through a “downhill spiral” that culminated “about 18 months ago,” leaving his family “in a desperate state.”
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“My wife was feeling she couldn’t go on,” Lloyd Webber said.
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The composer initially checked himself into a rehabilitation clinic, which he said ultimately didn’t work for him. This, he explained, led him to try his first-ever Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting, which he described as life-changing.
Andrew Lloyd Webber attends the press night after party for 'Evita' at the London Palladium in London on July 1, 2025Credit: Dave Benett/Getty
Now, he attends a meeting every single day, regardless of what city he’s in.
“What I love about it is, you go into a room and everybody’s equal. I’ve made friends that I wouldn’t have thought possible,” Lloyd Webber said.
He added that hearing others share their own stories with addiction finally helped something click for him.
“It was about the ludicrous lengths you go to, the hiding and the pretending,” he said while recalling his drinking days.
The father of five also said that he wears two leather bracelets on his wrist to help him stay the course in his sobriety: one bracelet is inscribed with “Nick,” the name of his late son who died of stomach cancer in 2023 at the age of 43. The other contains a silver link from his four surviving children.
“I look at them and they stop me drinking,” Lloyd Webber said.
The Broadway staple is currently having one of the most productive periods of his entire career.
His new show, Cats: The Jellicle Ball, a tribute to the 1980s drag scene, recently opened to rave reviews. He is also currently writing two new shows, while several revivals and spinoffs of his earlier works continue to play for audiences.
Lloyd Webber says experiencing his work while sober has gifted him with a fresh perspective.
“When you’re not drinking you think, ‘My God, how lucky am I?' ” he said.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
