Anthony Kiedis' scar tissue isn't just a song. Turns out, it's a real-life medical drama, too.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman had a bit of a health scare this past summer when his kidneys came close to failing, prompting him to seek medical attention.
The New York Daily News quoted sources close to Kiedis as saying years of partying and heavy drug use had caught up with the rocker—to the point where he was forced to pay several visits to Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for kidney treatment.
"Anthony's health was pretty bleak," one insider told the paper. "Organ failure was a possibility. There was talk of how to get him on a transplant list, to cover all the bases, but that opened up a whole new can of worms because people with histories of drug and alcohol abuse are less likely to receive the organs they need."
Kiedis, 46, has opened up over the years about his struggles with drug addiction, whether through songs such as the Peppers' 1991 hit "Under the Bridge" or in 2004's aptly titled memoir Scar Tissue, in which he discussed getting high on the streets of L.A. and essentially living the junkie life. He's reportedly been clean since 2000, become a full-fledged vegetarian and taken up yoga.
Since the singer's purported hospital stints this summer at Cedars-Sinai, another pal told the Daily News the "general consensus is that the treatments helped, and he's getting better."
A spokesman for Kiedis could not be reached for comment, but the crooner's camp has previously smacked down the story.
Kiedis' early struggles with substance abuse are expected to be dealt with on the small screen however as HBO is developing Scar Tissue, a TV series about his childhood growing up with a drug-dealing dad and their move from Michigan to California.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers, meanwhile, are taking a hiatus from touring after the release of their latest album, Stadium Arcadium, though bass player Flea is planning on joining Rod Stewart and Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood for a reunion of '70s band Faces.