Early Life and Struggles
Avalon was raised in a non-practicing Jewish family with many turbulent experiences. His mother worked as a marijuana dealer (which Avalon began doing as well) and his father was a heroin addict. By the time he was out of his teenage years, he had prostituted himself in order to get money to support his heroin addiction. He spent time as a prostitute and drug dealer before finding success in music. During his late teens, Avalon briefly adhered to Orthodox Judaism. By his early 20s, Avalon got married, had a daughter, and moved to Portland, Oregon. While battling his drug addiction, Avalon moved in with his sister to aid each other with recovery. During this time, his sister relapsed and died from a heroin overdose.
Read more about this topic: Mickey Avalon
Famous quotes containing the words early, life and/or struggles:
“I got a little secretarial job after college, but I thought of it as a prelude. Education, work, whatever you did before marriage, was only a prelude to your real life, which was marriage.”
—Bonnie Carr (c. early 1930s)
“Most things in life are moments of pleasure and a lifetime of embarrassment; photography is a moment of embarrassment and a lifetime of pleasure.”
—Tony Benn (b. 1925)
“The long discussions and painful arguments of adolescence and the fierce loyalties to teachers, heroes, and gurus during the teenage years are simply our children’s struggles to ensure that the lifestyles and values they adopt are worthy of their allegiance.”
—Neil Kurshan (20th century)