Curiosidades

He was sued by a former friend, Roland Winkler, for a November 1979 accident in which Garrett was driving and the car left the road and plunged 80 feet down a hillside. Winkler was paralyzed, and a judgment of $7.1 million was eventually awarded. The two were reunited 20 years later as part of a TV program about Garrett's life and career, and Garrett learned that Winkler, whom he hadn't seen since 1980, had forgiven him long ago--and that Garrett's actions following the accident had actually saved his life.

He had publicly promised to look after Roland Winkler financially after the car crash, but Winkler's parents sued Garrett in January 1980. The case was eventually settled in December 1984. Winkler died on 25 May 2017 at age 57.

In an interview for the 2008 A&E "Biography" show about him, he said he did not originally aspire to a singing career. He had never been a singer and considered himself an actor, but when he achieved teen-idol status, his handlers saw a chance to make big money and told him that he was now a singer. He was told what to sing without regard for his musical preferences, so he wasn't happy with his music career. Dragged around the world on concert tours at 15 by his managers without his family and spending most of his time in hotel rooms, he felt isolated and extremely lonely. To relieve his loneliness, he began tagging along behind his managers to the clubs at night; thus began his descent into alcohol and drug abuse. His return to music in the late 1990s reflected his real musical preferences and truly fueled his creative passions.

Filed for bankruptcy in October 2001. According to court documents, he had only $350 and was living off a monthly $1,000 allowance from his mother.

In 1979 he became the youngest performer in history to have his own network variety show, "Leif". It also featured Brooke Shields, Marie Osmond, Flip Wilson, Bob Hope, and the Japanese singing duo Pink Lady.

Began dating Justine Bateman in January 1988.

Son of actor/stuntman Rik Nervik and Carolyn Stellar (born Carolyn Golda Underwood), an actress and costume designer.

His episode of "Behind the Music" drew the largest audience for VH1.

There has long been confusion as to the correct pronunciation of Leif's name. At the beginning of the 2010 VH1 program, "Leif Garrett: Behind the Music Remastered", Leif himself says, "For the record, it's 'LAYF,' long A.".

Graduated high school at 15 after doing four academic years in two.

Despite multiple online sources stating that Roland Winkler was Garrett's best friend, in reality they had only met about a month before the car crash.

He did not like the songs he was forced to record while under contract to the Scotti Brothers, and admitted he was glad when he completed his five-album deal.

He starred as himself in all but name in episodes of CHiPs (1977) and Mulher Maravilha (1975).

In 1998, the corporate descendant of Garrett's original recording label released a greatest-hits compilation of his music, "The Leif Garrett Collection". Garrett said that the only payment he received was a few copies of the CD.

Speaks French and some Hebrew.

The first Western pop star to perform in Korea in 1980.

Injured in a motorcycle accident in 2011.

In his autobiography, Garrett revealed that the Scotti Brothers enhanced his voice on certain songs on the first three albums. He asked them to let him have singing lessons, but they refused. They did allow him to sing live in later concerts, but by then he was getting heavily into drugs.

Proposed marriage to Nicolette Sheridan while filming "Shaker Run" in New Zealand. She accepted, but later changed her mind.

By the mid-1990s he was spending $300 a day on heroin.

He retains a large fan base in Japan and South Korea.

In 2010 he estimated he had spent over $1 million on drugs since he was16.

Younger sister is actress Dawn Lyn.

In 1980 he was supposed to star in a biopic of boxer "Little Red" Danny Lopez, but ended up making Longshot (1981) instead.

After graduating from high school in January 1977 he originally intended to study history at college, but instead recorded his first album that month.

His early music was bubblegum pop, disco, and power pop; his later music focused on alternative rock, grunge, and hard rock.

In the mid-1990s, fellow singer and actress Bridgette Wilson-Sampras remade Garrett's hit single "I Was Made For Dancing" for her album "Gimme a Kiss"; both the song and the record became huge hits in Japan.

His 2007 album "Three Sides Of" sold fewer than 300 copies.

In 1996, his former girlfriend Nicollette Sheridan tried to force him into rehab; he left after half an hour.

Plays guitar, piano, drums, and electronic keyboard.

Performed at the Hurricane Harvey fundraiser in Los Angeles in September 2017.

Record-company executives said he could record only what they told him to, mostly covers of hit songs from the late 1950s and early 1960s. The only chance Garrett got to stretch himself musically was onstage, where he spiced up his live set with Rolling Stones and Zeppelin covers.

He was named after the Norwegian explorer Leif Erikson.

His father is of Norwegian descent and his mother is of English descent.

Mother was an actress using the name Carolyn Stellar.

The Film Production section of Variety, Oct. 20, 1982, announced the movie "Gossip" began filming Oct 25, 1982, in London with director Don Boyd, with actors Anne-Louise Lambert, Anthony Higgins, Leif Garrett, Gary Oldman, Simon Callow. When financing didn't come through, filming shut down Nov. 14, 1982, and never resumed.

Often regarded as the most popular teen idol of the late 1970s. His poster was outsold only by posters of Farrah Fawcett.

His father, Richard H. Nervik, died in August 2019.

During the teen-idol years his vocals were enhanced on some songs on the first three albums by Jim Haas, who also provided vocals for John Denver, Neil Diamond, Jackson Browne, David Cassidy, Pink Floyd, and Barry Manilow.

Ranked #13 in TV Guide's list of "TV's 25 Greatest Teen Idols" (23 January 2005 issue).

As a child he collected guns, swords and knives.

Dated Michelle Phillips when he was 16 and she was 33.

In 1983, Garrett, Willie Aames, and Todd Bridges were scheduled to be in a college comedy called "Hi Jinx", but the film was never made.

He regretted appearing on "The Dating Game" when he was nine.

He had already started having singing and guitar lessons before Atlantic Records offered him a five-album contract in Autumn 1976.

Of the albums recorded at the height of his career, he says he only liked 1980's "Can't Explain.".

By 1979 he had already been awarded 27 gold and platinum records.

His real hair color was reddish-brown. He dyed his hair blond as a teenager, then in late 1979 he dyed it dark-brown to start filming a TV biopic of flyweight boxer Danny Lopez in January 1980, but the film was never made.

His debut album, "Leif Garrett", went gold; his second album, "Feel the Need", shipped gold.

In May 2020 he confirmed that he is working on a sequel to his 2019 book "Idol Truth", as well as new music.