hard times
Nineties boyband heartthrob looks unrecognisable after battle with alcohol, drug and food addiction
A NINETIES boyband hunk looks completely unrecognisable after battling a series of addictions as his life took a downward spiral.
Bryan Abrams, now 53, was the lead singer of Oklahoma City-based group, Color Me Badd.
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The RnB band was formed in 1985 and saw success with hits All 4 Love, I Wanna Sex You Up and I Adore Mi Amor.
Yet they first split in 1998, when Bryan's alcohol problems began to emerge.
He was Color Me Badd's handsome frontman, with raven-coloured spiked hair, a goatee beard and moustache.
As the band rocketed up the Billboard Charts, he added blonde highlights to freshen up his look.
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He often donned slick black leather jackets and trendy clothing on and off-stage.
At the height of fame, he was nominated for a Grammy Award and had been inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.
Yet Bryan appeared completely different during an interview with wife Kimberly on the Doctor Phil show in 2019.
His face appeared rounder in shape during the TV chat about his long running booze and drug addictions as well as physically abusive behaviour.
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Fans could recognise his signature moustache as he sat and chatted with the US telly favourite.
The award-winning vocalist, who released a solo album in 2001, had let his beard grow fully and opted for a closer-crop hairstyle.
Bryan recently opened up about his weight struggles and addictions which have spanned decades.
He told : "I’m grateful to be alive. At this point, my only focus is doing what I love, getting healthy and providing for my family.
"After a lifetime of struggling with addiction, I’m at the stage in my recovery where I want to inspire hope in others struggling with mental health, substance use and eating disorders."
Bryan has also released a documentary on his battles, entitled Flowers In The Attic: The Bryan Abrams Story.
In the short film, he explained he was already suffering from an eating disorder when he tried alcohol for the first time.
After becoming reliant on booze, he then developed an addition to opioids back in 1992.
He told his documentary: "I believe that a person can get sober, stop doing drugs, when they are really ready to.
"I used the excuse, and it is kind of an excuse, for years that, 'Well, I'm an alcoholic. I can't get sober.' Yes, you can.
"But it's going to happen when you've heard enough … and you want some change and you're ready to apply yourself and do whatever it takes."
In 2010, Color Me Badd reunited as a duo but their comeback was marred in 2018 when Bryan, believed to be under the influence of booze, pushed bandmate Mark Calderon live on stage.
He added to his show: "When I made the decision to get sober, I knew that when I went to treatment, I had to make it count."
The singer's change in appearance came after one Nineties star, Eddie Chacon, was unrecognisable 30 years after his chart hit with Charles Pettigrew.
Recently, we reported how nineties boyband star Jade Jones gave up fame in Damage for a completely different career.
Meanwhile, we recently reported how American rocker Dan Spitz traded in his guitarist role in metal band Anthrax for a career as a watch-maker.
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A Nineties hitmaker also switched pop fame to re-train as a mental health nurse - much to the surprise of fans.
Additionally, rapper MC Hammer stunned his loyal following after switching music for a life spent serving God.
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