Most shocking tales from Chateau Marmont: From Britney Spears' meltdown to John Belushi's overdose

Hollywood's 7 most shocking Chateau Marmont scandals

The infamous past of the Chateau Marmont has once again come under scrutiny after Britney Spears' recent incident at the Los Angeles hotel. Following an alleged fight with her boyfriend that prompted emergency services to pay a visit, the 42-year-old pop star was seen being taken out of the hotel early on Thursday, May 2, while holding a pillow and walking barefoot, as per Daily Mail. Stars like Lindsay Lohan, John Belushi, Natalie Wood, and Keanu Reeves have all visited the celebrity hideaway, which has attracted an array of tragedies. So, let's have a look at the seven most surprising Chateau Marmont scandals involving Hollywood celebs:

1. Britney Spears

Britney Spears lost control, started crying, might have hurt herself, and was on the edge of being taken away in an ambulance following a heated altercation with her boyfriend, Paul Soliz, on the night of Wednesday, May 1, according to TMZ. Some reported the pop star was yelling and acting "out of control" in her suite's corridor and several visitors believed she was having a mental breakdown, prompting them to call paramedics. 

2. Keanu Reeves

The 'John Wick' actor declared Chateau Marmont to be his official home in the 1990s. "I had some really great, crazy, wild times there, and some that probably overstepped the bounds a little bit personally, where you just have, you know some emotional blowback," stated Keanu Reeves in the 2012 documentary 'Sunset Strip'. While talking to GQ in 2019, he recalled, "You could have a tryst. You could f****** do drugs. You could hang out. For me, there's still that pulse here."

3. Lindsay Lohan

The 'Mean Girls' actress spent June and July of 2012 at the Chateau Marmont, accumulating substantial room service bills. During her stay, Lindsay Lohan ordered room service meals and cigarettes and frequently used the minibar. When she failed to pay the hotel $46,350.04 for the services they provided, the manager had to ban her from the property. At the time, Lohan was sent a notice to vacate her suite, as well as an injunction to refrain from using the hotel's facilities or dining at its popular restaurant.

4. Natalie Wood

Film director Nicholas Ray reportedly began an affair with then 16-year-old Natalie Wood, who starred in his 1955 film 'Rebel Without a Cause', while hosting regular Sunday afternoon pool parties at the Chateau Marmont that attracted a wide range of attendees, including Hollywood High students and studio executives. Despite being already intimately involved with her 'Rebel' co-star, Dennis Hopper, Wood embarked on an affair with the much older Ray.

5. John Belushi

Of all the tragic incidents that took place at the Chateau Marmont, none have become as well-known as comic John Belushi's overdose in 1982. Belushi died from drug intoxication after he was injected with a mixture of heroin and cocaine, a concoction known as a "speedball," as per a court report. According to Shawn Levy's book, 'The Castle on Sunset', Robin Williams and Robert De Niro were among the last individuals to see Belushi alive.

6. Anthony Perkins

According to reports, closeted actors Anthony Perkins and Tab Hunter began a covert relationship after meeting by the Chateau Marmont poolside. Their liaison continued until the studios instructed Perkins to cut Hunter loose. 'The Castle on Sunset' author Shawn Levy claimed, "Gay Hollywood hung out at the pool. [Fifties heartthrob] Tab Hunter — stopping by for a dip on his way home from horseback riding in the Valley — met Anthony Perkins there, and they began a two-year affair."

7. Helmut Newton

In 2004, German fashion photographer Helmut Newton—known for his thought-provoking and iconic pieces—sadly lost control of his car as he was leaving the Marmont garage and died after crashing into a wall. According to subsequent investigations, Newton had suffered a heart attack, which caused the accident.