What Paul Williams Lost (and Found) in Sobriety

Having written hit songs like "Evergreen," "Rainbow Connection" and "We've Only Just Begun," Paul Williams is a songwriting legend. In his five decades in the music business, Paul has won an Oscar®, a Golden Globe® and three Grammys®, and he's still thriving. In 2014, he accepted the Album of the Year Grammy for his collaboration with Daft Punk.

Still, at the height of his fame, Paul says, an addiction to alcohol and drugs nearly destroyed him. "I went from [Johnny] Carson's couch to peeking out the venetian blinds looking for the tree police at 3 in the morning because I was isolating," he says. "I didn't know how to be around people."

After hitting bottom, Paul says, he became sober and found he had lost some friends along the way—and gained so much more. "When getting help was important enough for me to let go of ego and do it, I began to connect," he says. "And that connection, that brought me to life."

More from this episode