DRUG SECRET
HESSEMAN TOOK TO THE GRAVE
WKRP in Cincinnati star Howard Hesseman took a dark secret to the grave — he’d been a jailbird who’d served time on a drug charge.
Hesseman, who played DJ Johnny Fever on the CBS sitcom from 1978 to 1982 and died at 81 of complications from colon surgery on Jan. 29, spent 90 days in the San Francisco County Jail for selling an ounce of marijuana in the hippie days of 1963.
His conviction was later thrown out for entrapment, but his druggie times weren’t over.
He admitted being “fairly heavily” into cocaine when he met his actress-wife, and now widow, Caroline Ducrocq, in the ’80s, but later quit drugs completely.
“Howard cleaned up his act, but not before he paid for living the high life!” says a pal.