From childhood trauma to rock legend: How pain fueled a superstar’s rise

He grew up in a small Indiana town, yet somehow ended up becoming the world-famous frontman of one of rock history’s most iconic bands. The journey there is almost unbelievable — especially considering the world he came from.

As a young boy, he was raised to believe women were “evil,” taught that violence at home was normal, and lived through trauma most kids could never imagine.

His father was murdered

An incredible, wide-ranging, powerhouse voice. Hailed as the greatest singer ever. One of the top-selling artists in music history. A Hall of Fame inductee.

A kid from the Midwest who pushed past the strict, closed-in “corn belt” rules he’d been raised under, determined to prove they didn’t define him.