“Beauty In Black” Star Richard Lawson is opening up about a difficult period that pushed him to change course.
In a recent interview, the veteran actor recalled a frightening experience during his addiction that pushed him to seek treatment.
Lawson was with another famous friend when he experienced a disturbing vision of how their lives could end.
The actor discussed his past substance use during an interview with Fox 5 Atlanta’s Portia Bruner.
He unpacked the rock-bottom night that his addiction took him to a dark place.
“I had a revelation one night that I was with somebody famous,” Lawson said. “I won’t mention who they are. They’re no longer here, but that night I saw both of our deaths.”
He did not identify the person he was with, leaving the identity of the famous figure unknown.
The mystery comes as Lawson remains deeply connected to Hollywood after five decades of on-screen work.
Beyond his acting credits, the veteran performer remains widely recognized for his high-profile 2015 marriage to Tina Knowles, ending a friendship that stretched back decades before their wedding.
Knowles filed for divorce in 2023, citing irreconcilable differences, and the former couple reached a settlement in August 2024 after eight years of marriage. The split came after years of publicly celebrating their relationship, with the couple having largely kept any marital difficulties private.
Lawson noted that the epiphany forced him to confront his life’s trajectory, prompting him to seek treatment immediately rather than continue using drugs. “My spirit took me to rehab that same day,” he said.
When Bruner asked him what substance he had been using, Lawson disclosed that he had been “freebasing cocaine.”
The actor described the moment as a turning point in his recovery. He later completed five months of treatment through the Adult Substance Abuse Program and got clean in the early 1980s.
“I wasn’t…that’s not how I wanted to go out,” Lawson said, after identifying himself as a recovering addict.
Lawson eventually used his experience with addiction to help others facing similar struggles.
Following his recovery, he worked with administrators at the Adult Substance Abuse Program to develop drug education and aftercare efforts for the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association.
He spent 11 years traveling to NBA teams, conducting interventions and providing substance-abuse education.
That personal battle with addiction shaped the foundation of Lawson’s long Hollywood career. Today, he stars in Tyler Perry’s hit Netflix drama “Beauty in Black” — playing the patriarch of a wealthy cosmetics empire whose family collides with a struggling exotic dancer.
