The Tragic Truth About Paula Abdul

You might know her for her time on "American Idol," but Paula Abdul is much more than a reality TV show host. Though she started off her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers, it was not until landing a job as a choreographer for The Jacksons in the '80s that Abdul rose to the spotlight. 

"There were so many memorable moments," Abdul recounted of her time with the group to MTV News in 2009. "I was still a Laker girl and I was summoned to work with the brothers. I was 18 years old and I got to see entertainment at its finest. [I learned that] you're only as good as the last thing you've done." But dancing was not the only thing Abdul wanted to do, as she had her eyes set on a singing career as well.

In the late '80s, Abdul launched her own music career, eventually going on to release her debut album "Forever Your Girl" in 1988. In the years since then, the former Laker girl has won a Grammy Award, charted several times over, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Abdul attributes it all to her unwavering dedication. "If you're passionate about what you do and you know that you have some talent, put your all into it," she once said, per CNBC.

But while this star entertainer has mostly had it good, she has endured a few trying times through the years.

In 1992, Paula Abdul married actor Emilio Estevez, whom she praised for understanding her busy work schedule and the demands of her job as an entertainer. "This guy respects my drive to succeed —  Emilio understands that I'm very career-oriented. We're delaying having kids. We want to be selfish and spend time as man and wife," she told People in a 1993 interview.

Sadly, despite the pair's apparent love for each other, they ended their marriage in May 1994 after Abdul discovered that Estevez was not interested in having any more kids than his two from a previous relationship. "It was very hard for him to admit that he couldn't handle having kids again. It was heartbreaking for us both," Abdul revealed in a later interview (via Entertainment Weekly).

But while her first marriage did not work out in the end, Abdul soon gave love another chance. In 1996, only two years after her divorce from Estevez, Abdul married fashion designer Brad Beckerman. "He knocked me off my feet," she gushed to People about Beckerman (via E! News). Similarly,  Beckerman admitted to knowing he would end up with Abdul. "The first time I met her, I saw my future in her eyes." The future however, had other plans for these two. After only 17 months of marriage, Beckerman and Adbul filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their split, per E! News.

In 2003, Paula Abdul briefly opened up about being in a plane crash that left her with multiple injuries. "About 40 minutes into the flight, an engine [caught fire]. I remember coming to after we landed in a cornfield. I hit my head on the top of the plane," she recalled in a 2005 interview with People. 

It wasn't until many years later that Abdul publicly went into detail about the tragic event. "I didn't have my seatbelt on and I hit my head on the top of the plane ... I withstood 15 cervical spinal surgeries and I had to take seven years off. And then I reappeared on 'American Idol,'" she explained during a 2019 appearance on RuPaul's talk show. 

However, Abdul's plane crash story has since been called into doubt, with many outlets flagging inconsistencies through the years. Per Jezebel, the alleged crash was never reported, despite Abdul's status as a celebrity at the time. To make things worse, there have been many discrepancies in the dates of the crash. While Abdul claims the crash happened at the end of her 1993 tour, the singer's last known tour, the "Under My Spell" tour, ended in 1992. 

Despite doubts surrounding her story, Abdul has continued to stand by her claim. "You know what? It's like, there are seven other people that were on the plane, who were in that plane accident with me. So, I really don't care what people have to say. I don't," Abdul said in an interview with Yahoo! Entertainment. 

In 1995, Paula Abdul went public with a lifelong secret — her struggle with bulimia. "I'd starve myself, then binge, then purge," the "Opposites Attract" singer told People in a 1995 interview. "Whether I was sticking my head in the toilet or exercising for hours a day, I was spitting out the food — and the feelings." 

In a later conversation, Abdul recounted experiencing body dysmorphia after going through rounds and rounds of audition rejections. "I learned at a very early age I didn't fit in physically. I learned through years of rejections from auditions ... I would ask myself, 'Why can't I be tall and skinny like the other dancers?'" she explained, per Your Bulimia Recovery. 

Eventually, Abdul checked herself into a treatment facility where she learned tools to help with her disorder. "There are three things I commit to on a daily basis. Exercising for an hour a day, tops. Never skipping meals. And accepting the size and shape I was born with," Abdul shared of her approach to living a healthier life. Since getting help, Abdul has become an ambassador for the National Eating Disorders Association, as reported by Express. Unsurprisingly, the "Cold Hearted" singer has also lent her support to celebrities who have had similar struggles through the years.

There are fans and then there are super fans who take their love for their favorite celebrity to the extreme. In 2008, news broke that a 30-year-old woman named Paula Goodspeed had been found dead in her car, parked near Abdul's home in Los Angeles. Goodspeed's death was ruled as an apparent suicide, with multiple outlets confirming that prescription pills were found at the scene of death. "It appears to be a suicide by overdose," Detective Robert Bub of the Los Angeles Police Department told Reuters at the time. 

Alongside her cause of death, Goodspeed, who had auditioned on "American Idol" back in 2006, was also later revealed to be a celebrity-obsessed fan who had been stalking Abdul. During a December 2008 appearance on "The View," Abdul opened up about Goodspeed, who she claimed had been stalking her for over a decade. "She has been a stalker-fan for about 17 years and it wasn't until 'American Idol' that she knew how to get to me," Abdul explained. 

In the interview, Abdul admitted she was not pleased with the producers of "American Idol," who insisted Goodspeed audition despite knowing she was a stalker. "It was fun for them to cause me stress and I couldn't even look up. If you look at the YouTube of her auditioning I can't even look up. [It happened] because this is something that would make good television," she explained. 

Following a cheerleading accident at 17, the alleged 1993 plane crash, and a 2004 car accident, Paula Abdul underwent a total of 12 surgeries which left her with chronic pain. After attempting to treat the pain with medications that left her feeling erratic, Abdul decided to take a break from performing. Luckily, after a years-long battle with the pain, Abdul was finally diagnosed with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, a neurological disorder associated with chronic pain. To treat her diagnosis, Abdul was prescribed Enbrel, a drug usually used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and plaque psoriasis, per Healthline. 

But while Abdul was excited to be relieved of her pain, her unusual behavior on and off the set of "American Idol" soon sparked rumors of a drug addiction. "Drugs? I'm not addicted to pills of any kind," she refuted in an interview with People (via USA Today). "If people only knew what I've gone through with pain and pills. I'm dancing for joy at the fact that not even a year ago I was in so much pain I could barely get up."

In 2015, the "Rush Rush" singer was also diagnosed with Osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease causing pain and stiffness. Still, despite the pain, Abdul has forged ahead, choosing to focus on the good and not the bad. "Keeping a positive outlook has helped me with my health challenges throughout the years. One big thing is not isolating myself. Talk to your friends," she advised in a 2021 interview with Parade.