Eddie Murphy Declined When John Belushi, Robin Williams Once Offered Him Coke: 'That's Providence'
Eddie Murphy had no regrets that he declined when his fellow comedians once offered him coke.
In a recent guest appearance on the New York Times' "The Interview" podcast, the "Coming to America" star was asked about his popularity as he also had achieved the apex of fame like Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson. The conversation also mentioned the pitfalls of fame as the two personalities had tragic endings.
"Those guys are all cautionary tales for me. I don't drink. I smoked a joint for the first time when I was 30 years old -- the extent of drugs is some weed," he said of the two legends before sharing an incident with John Belushi and Robin Williams, who allegedly offered him coke in the '80s.
"I remember I was 19, I went to the Blues Bar. It was me, Belushi and Robin Williams. They start doing coke, and I was like, 'No, I'm cool,'" Murphy shared.
The "A Thousand Words" star said he didn't have any interest in what they offered. At the same time, he felt that his decision was like "providence," considering Belushi and Williams also had tragic endings like the King of Pop and the King of Rock 'n' Roll.
"I just wasn't interested in it. To not have the desire or the curiosity, I'd say that's providence. God was looking over me in that moment," the "Norbit" actor explained.
Belushi died of a heroin overdose in 1982. He was 33. Meanwhile, Williams was found dead at his home in Paradise Cay, California. His death was ruled a suicide, per Page Six. He was 63.
In the same interview, the "Nutty Professor" star admitted that he had to be careful because being famous at a young age was like a "minefield," especially for Black artists.
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"When you get famous really young, especially a Black artist, it's like living in a minefield. Any moment something could happen that can undo everything. It was like, all of this stuff is going on, and I'm totally oblivious. Now, at this age, I can look back and be like, 'Wow, I came through a minefield for 35 years.' How do you make it through a minefield for 35, 40 years? Something has to be looking over you," he explained.
When asked why he singled out Black artists, Murphy said the business was not set up for them. At the time, he was doing stuff that no other Black men did before him.
"It's set up for some white dude. So you don't have people watching your back, and you don't have support groups. You're just kind of in it. You don't have anybody you can go to and say, 'Hey, what about this?'" he added.
