Billy Idol survived a near-fatal heroin overdose in the 1980s, later overcoming addiction and sharing his story in a new documentary.

Billy Idol revealed on Bill Maher’s podcast that he narrowly survived a heroin overdose in the early 1980s after a night of drug use in England, describing how he turned blue and lost consciousness while friends passed out around him. He was revived by friends who poured cold water on him in a bath. Idol, now “California sober,” spoke about the excruciating withdrawal from heroin, likening it to a “skeleton trying to get out of your body,” and admitted he turned to crack cocaine to manage it. He reflected on his past addiction and the long journey to recovery, also mentioning a new documentary about his life.