Dave Gahan - Personal Life

Personal Life

Gahan has lived in New York City since 1997. He currently lives with his third wife, Jennifer, their daughter, Stella Rose (named after Jennifer's mother, Stella), and Jennifer's son, Jimmy, from a previous relationship. He also has a son, Jack, (named after his stepfather) from his first marriage to Joanne. Gahan's marriage to his second wife, Teresa, a former Depeche Mode publicist, lasted four years. Both Joanne (Gahan's teenage sweetheart), and Teresa can be seen in the 101 documentary. Jennifer is featured in the "Suffer Well" music video, once as the angel and once as herself.

Gahan is a recovering heroin addict. He has survived four brushes with death, living up to the nickname, "The Cat", that paramedics gave him during his roughest years in LA. In 1993, Gahan suffered a small heart-attack during a performance in New Orleans, leaving his bandmates to improvise an encore without him. His doctors advised him to take a break from the tour, but he refused. The second brush came when he attempted suicide by slashing his wrists in August 1995: “It was definitely a suicide attempt,” says Gahan. “But it was also a cry for help. I made sure there were people who might find me.”. On 28 May 1996, Gahan overdosed on a speedball at the Sunset Marquis Hotel in Los Angeles, which resulted in his heart stopping for two minutes until he was revived by paramedics. Gahan said of the experience, "All I saw and all I felt at first was complete darkness. I've never been in a space that was blacker, and I remember feeling that whatever it was I was doing, it was really wrong." He has also claimed he saw/heard his then-girlfriend, his current wife Jennifer, calling him back. The album Ultra was eventually released once Gahan had completed a spell in rehab.

On 12 May 2009, shortly before the band were due onstage in Athens, Greece for a concert on Depeche Mode's Tour of the Universe, Gahan fell ill in his dressing room. He was rushed to hospital where it was confirmed that he was suffering from a bout of gastroenteritis. A number of dates were either postponed or cancelled as further tests were conducted, revealing a low grade malignant tumour in his bladder. Gahan underwent an operation to successfully remove the tumour. After doctor-ordered time to fully recover, the tour resumed in Leipzig, Germany, on 8 June. Gahan later suffered a torn calf muscle while performing in Bilbao, Spain, on 9 July 2009, resulting in two further cancellations. After two-weeks break, he and Depeche Mode returned to the tour for their North American leg. While performing in Seattle on 10 August 2009 Gahan again suffered injury, this time straining his vocal cords. Doctors ordered Gahan on complete vocal rest, resulting in two more cancelled shows. The band returned to the stage in Los Angeles on 16 August. According to press and fan reports, Gahan is performing as well as ever, despite the string of health setbacks. Depeche Mode returned to perform in Latin America in October 2009 with appearances in Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru, Chile and Argentina without Gahan showing any signs of stress.