In the notorious annals of 1980s rock debauchery, few stories are as shocking and vividly recounted as the near-fatal heroin overdose of Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx. The terrifying event, which took place on December 23, 1987, saw Sixx declared clinically dead for two full minutes—a moment witnessed by his horrified friend, Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler. The extreme medical intervention that saved Sixx’s life became the direct, adrenaline-fueled inspiration for one of Mötley Crüe’s most legendary songs, “Kickstart My Heart.”
The Kitchen Floor and the “Purple” Death
The overdose occurred at a party at a house in the Franklin Plaza apartments. Steven Adler, who was present, provided a harrowing eyewitness account of the moment Sixx’s life hung in the balance. Adler recounted the terrifying scene: “I found him lying unconscious on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood,” then later clarified the final, terrifying moments before the paramedics arrived. He described holding Sixx as he slipped away: “He died in my arms, turning purple.” Sixx was clinically dead for two minutes before paramedics were able to intervene. They were forced to administer two shots of pure adrenaline, injected directly into his heart, in a desperate, last-ditch effort to restart his system. The shocking procedure worked, yanking Sixx back from the brink of death.
The Adrenaline Shot and the Escape
The adrenaline shot not only saved his life but provided the name and the theme for one of Mötley Crüe’s biggest hits. The opening lyrics of “Kickstart My Heart” vividly recall the experience: “When I get high, I get high on speed / Top fuel funny car’s a drug for me.” But the truly legendary part of the story unfolded immediately after Sixx’s resurrection. As soon as he regained consciousness in the hospital, in a haze of addiction and confusion, Sixx’s focus wasn’t on recovery. His immediate, audacious action has become the stuff of rock mythology: He pulled out the IV tube, ripped off his monitoring equipment, ran to the parking lot in his leather pants, hitched a ride with a couple of fans who recognized him, and drove straight back home to continue using drugs—a grim testament to the overwhelming grip of addiction.
The Legacy in Rock History
The event was a major catalyst. It was a primary inspiration for the writing of the band’s fifth and best-selling album, Dr. Feelgood (1989), which included the song “Kickstart My Heart.” Dr. Feelgood became Mötley Crüe’s only album to reach Number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified 6x Platinum by the RIAA. The song “Kickstart My Heart” peaked at Number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains one of the band’s most enduring anthems. While the story is often retold with a degree of dark humor, it represents the absolute peak of the rock and roll excess of the era, and the life-saving intervention ultimately forced Sixx to address his addiction, leading to a long period of sobriety.