Johnny Polygon (
@johnnypolygon ) never thought he’d live past the age of 27, so when he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure at the “old” age of 34 in 2018, he assumed his time had finally come. Rather than change his ways, the Tulsa-based recording artist, producer and actor leaned into the same rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle that had contributed to his health crisis.
“When I got the diagnosis, my drug and alcohol use just skyrocketed,” he says. “I think it’s because I felt I had a death sentence.”
Success early in his career had resulted in a record deal, opportunities to work with artists like Nas and Kid Cudi, and a single featured on MTV, VH1, an HBO television series and a feature film. According to Johnny, it also had resulted in an excess of “sex, drugs, lying and cheating” throughout his 20s and 30s.
“I found myself circling the drain for a few years, losing friends and then getting sh*ttier friends, then people dying and suicides, and me being convinced that I had the saddest story of all, which is dangerous for an addict or an alcoholic,” he says.
In 2023, Johnny finally became “sick and tired of being sick and tired,” and ended up in rehab. “It was the hardest thing I ever did, and the best decision, hands down, I ever made in my life,” he recalls.
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📸: Courtesy Landon Smothers (
@landonjphoto )
