Bryan Adams may seem like a contradiction of a man, but in reality he’s happier than he’s ever been. He’s been dubbed “Boring Bryan” in the past, but really he’s just a guy with varied interests, passions, and a much better outlook on life. He’s a dad, a straight-and-narrow sober vegan, and a rock star all in one. Most importantly for Adams, seeing people struggling through life compels him to take action.
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According to a new profile in The Times U.K., through the Bryan Adams Foundation, he and his wife, Alicia Grimaldi, distribute portions of his wealth—a net worth of more than $75.48 million—to people and organizations in need; he supports Ukrainian refugees, elementary schools in London, and Indigenous people in his hometown Canada just to name a few. According to the profile, he even attempted to help Amy Winehouse while she was at the peak of her drug addiction.
In 2007, Adams flew Winehouse to his villa on the island of Mustique for the holidays. Allegedly, she swallowed $2,500 worth of heroin on the flight there, and was then largely upset when she was fed only vegan food by Adams and his mother.
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“Well, I tried to help,” Adams replied when asked if he thought he could save her. “I met Amy when I photographed her,” he continued, “and we became friends. So I invited her to spend the holidays with my family. Sure, I tried to help her but, you know, it’s got to come from within. I really don’t know what happened with Amy and it is so sad because she was so, so talented and I so admired her individuality massively. But did I make a difference? I don’t know.”
Winehouse tragically died from alcohol toxicity four years later in 2011. Bryan Adams was also friends with Sinead O’Connor, and was supposed to meet up with her before her sudden death, which he described as “heartbreaking.” He was also close with Princess Diana after writing a song about her marriage to the then-Prince Charles, which he described as “just laddish humor.” He had to explain himself and the song to Diana, but was then invited to tea at Kensington Palace. The two became friends and, according to Adams, she confided in him about her marital issues.
“When I first went round to KP [Kensington Palace] she wasn’t, like, ‘I really need to talk to somebody,’ and you don’t bulldoze into someone’s life wanting to know everything in the first ten minutes,” Adams explained. “It was, ‘Let’s have a cup of tea.’ But later the more friendly we got the more I learnt what was really going on.”
Is Bryan Adams drawn to tragic women, the profile posits? Or is he just a sensitive soul with a trusting and gentle countenance? He’s definitely passionate about his projects and his causes, which leads him to a self-proclaimed life of protecting and helping others. As Adams said, “I make music when I want and I tour when I want,” preceding that statement with a succinct, “Life is good.”
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