Over the course of his short, 33-year life, "Saturday Night Live" star Chris Farley went to rehab a whopping 17 times. But in the end, it wasn't enough for the comedian, who died in 1997 after overdosing on cocaine and morphine.
Derik Murray, one of the filmmakers behind the new documentary "I Am Chris Farley," reflected on the star's long battle with substance abuse in a Monday interview with HuffPost Live.
"He was expected to be the life of the party," Murray told host Josh Zepps. "He loved to be a part of a team, whether that was his football team or rugby or improv ... He was the guy out front. He was the star player, and I think a lot of pressures went with that."
It was being front and center on his own that exacerbated Farley's substance dependency, according to Murray.
"Where we saw Chris really start to have problems is when, all of a sudden, he leaves the team atmosphere of 'SNL' and he's now on his own," he recalled. "He's the superstar, and every director and studio wants to put him in their next movie, millions of dollars are coming at him and it's all about him, and that was a pressure that was very difficult for him to contend with."
Watch more from HuffPost Live's conversation with Kevin Farley and the "I Am Chris Farley" filmmakers here.
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