Timbaland opens up about OxyContin addiction – ‘I was killing myself slowly’

Sameen Chaudhry, USA TODAYTue, September 29, 2026 at 7:07 PM UTC

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Timbaland is looking back at one of the darkest periods of his life, saying his addiction to OxyContin left him unknowingly risking death each day.

During a recent interview with B High ATL⁠, the Grammy-winning producer reflected on his past drug use and the toll it took on his health while discussing divorce, personal struggles and his late friend Chris Cornell.

"I was going through drug addiction… divorce. I was going through a lot," Timbaland said. "I ain't never think about suicide, but then I said, you know what? I was committing suicide every day."

The producer, whose real name is Timothy Mosley, said he did not view his actions that way at the time but now recognizes how severely the pills endangered his life. He recalled his then-wife witnessing him stop breathing while he slept and credited his faith with helping him survive.

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"When you go there and go to them pills, you killing yourself. I was killing myself slowly or fastly, I don't know. But God had his hands on me," he said.

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Timbaland previously discussed near-fatal experience

In a 2017 Rolling Stone interview⁠, Timbaland said he began using pain medication in his 30s to manage nerve problems stemming from a gunshot wound he suffered as a teenager. His use eventually escalated as he dealt with depression, declining chart success and the breakdown of his marriage.

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During a 2023 appearance on "Club Shay Shay" podcast⁠, Timbaland said his addiction began with Vicodin before escalating to as much as 160 milligrams of OxyContin a day. He credited Jay-Z and Drake with serving as voices of reason during that period.

Timbaland later told "The Pivot" podcast⁠ that his drug use coincided with work on projects including Justin Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experience," Jay-Z's "Magna Carta Holy Grail" and Beyoncé's "Drunk in Love." Looking back, however, he said he believes his strongest work was created while he was sober.

Timbaland has said his children and a desire to transform his life ultimately pushed him to stop using the pills.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Timbaland opens up about OxyContin addiction – ‘I was killing myself slowly’

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