Eddie Murphy Says He Declined to Do Cocaine with Robin Williams and John Belushi in the 1980s

Eddie Murphy says Robin Williams and John Belushi played a key role in convincing him to stay away from drugs.

While appearing on The New York Times‘ Interview podcast, the 63-year-old actor recalled a night out with comedy icons in the 1980s, during which he declined their invitation to do cocaine.

The trio was out at a bar, and Murphy was just 19 at the time, he recalled. “It was me, [John] Belushi and Robin Williams,” the Saturday night live alum said on the podcast. “They started using cocaine, and I was like, ‘No, I’m cool.’ ”

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Recalling his thought process at that moment, Beverly Hills Cop the star said: “I didn’t take a moral stance. I just wasn’t interested in it. To have no desire or curiosity, I would say that is providence.”

“God was looking at me at that moment,” he added.

Eddie Murphy. Michael Kovac/Getty

Murphy said that, especially as an up-and-coming comedian, he doesn’t want to do anything that could jeopardize his success.

“When you become famous very young, especially a black artist, it’s like living in a minefield,” he said Interview. “You can step on a mine at any moment. At any moment, something could happen that can undo everything.”

“But I was not aware of the fact that I was in a minefield,” he added.

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Elaborating further on that analogy, Murphy — who made his own SNL debuted at just 19 years old — said bombs were “everything.”

“Just imagine that you are a young person and the world is placed at your feet,” he said. “No one says ‘no’ and everyone wants to be around you. You try all kinds of shit and you get caught up in all kinds of things.”

“That’s what destroys people,” he added.

Eddie Murphy on ‘SNL’ in 1981.

Fred Hermansky/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

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Belushi died of an overdose in 1982 at the age of 33, while Williams died by suicide in 2014 after a lifelong battle with severe depression. He was 63 years old.

In the podcast, Murphy said the fates of legendary entertainers like Prince, Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley were “cautionary tales for me” — and the reason he stays off drugs to this day.

“I don’t drink,” he revealed. “I smoked a joint for the first time when I was 30 years old. The scope of the drug is some weed.”

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Source: HIS Education