EXCLUSIVE: Alice Cooper at 77 — And How He’s Now Deaf, Alone and Petrified of Hell
July 23 2025, Published 9:45 a.m. ET
Alice Cooper has slithered around with snakes and soaked himself in stage blood for around 50 years.
Now RadarOnline.com can reveal the rocker has finally owned up to the fact life on the road aged 77 has taken its toll.
“I just can’t get a good supply of snakes any more,” Cooper moaned in a new interview.
Still Going Until The End
For decades, he has thrilled fans by draping himself in snakes, wielding guillotines and wading through stage blood.
“They used to come with me on the plane or I’d hire them once I was in Europe. My guy in London always found me excellent snakes, but now I just can’t get the permits.”
But that’s only the tip of the iceberg of his problems — as he’s now almost near deaf and tormented by his deep Christian faith that has left him convinced he is heading for a day of reckoning in the afterlife.
A source told us: “Alice is now essentially deaf, lonely and realizing he hasn’t long left on this Earth.
“He also thinks he is going to have to answer for all his past sins and hellraising as he has a deep belief in a very literal Hell.
“But at least he’s not dead — and he’s going to keep going until the bitter end.”
For half a century, Cooper — who turned 77 in February — has thrilled fans by draping himself in snakes, wielding guillotines and wading through stage blood.
His theatrical, macabre brand of rock — with hits like School’s Out, Elected and Feed My Frankenstein — earned him a devoted following and infuriated cultural conservatives like Mary Whitehouse, who once called for a ban on his shows.
Today, Cooper remains a fixture of rock.
Today, Cooper remains a fixture of rock, even if the logistics of his signature stage props have become more complicated.
Cooper, born Vincent Furnier in 1948, first emerged as a teenage musician in the 1960s before adopting the Alice Cooper persona in 1968.
The character was designed to stand out among a sea of garage bands, incorporating horror theatre into the act and transforming Furnier into a gothic antihero.
But despite his shock-rock reputation, Cooper is now a reformed Christian and sober after decades of battling addiction.
“I am enjoying life,” he said in an interview in Bologna, Italy. “So many of my brothers in rock are now dead and in the ground. I’ll keep going till I’m too fat, stupid and stooped over to perform.”
His voice carries the weight of decades — and the loss of friends such as Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and Keith Moon.
He said about going the distance in rock: “I’ve discussed this with Marilyn Manson. I’ve discussed it with Nicolas Cage. Perform the dark role, but don’t let it consume you. So many of my friends didn’t make it: Jim Morrison, Keith Moon, Jimi Hendrix… These were my brothers and I watched them die. They all lived fast and became good-looking corpses, but it was a tragedy to see.”
Hearing Loss Battle
Cooper now suffers significant hearing loss.
Cooper’s life is now filled with challenges. After decades of rock ’n’ roll, he suffers significant hearing loss.
“I address my questions directly to my AI-enabled hearing aid,” he said. Yet he remains fiercely dedicated to his craft, preparing meticulously before each show with rituals like a nap, a Diet Coke, and prayer.
“That ten minutes is when I become Alice,” he said. “Arrogant, haughty and cruel, a bit like the great actor Alan Rickman.”
Cooper also reflected candidly on the toll rock ’n’ roll can take on one’s health. Discussing Black Sabbath’s recent farewell gig, he said: “Ozzy deserved that farewell. He survived rock ’n’ roll but not physically as well as he should have.
"I saw some of the show and he was not in great shape. People shouldn’t give their whole lives, their health, to rock ’n’ roll. Life is bigger than that.”
Alice's Sobriety
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Cooper has been sober for 42 years and now devotes time to his faith and family.
The singer’s reinvention extends beyond the stage. Cooper has been sober for 42 years and now devotes time to his faith and family.
“On Wednesday evenings I teach a Bible class locally,” he said.
“That’s the secret. Being a rock star is about the fifth most important thing I do.”
His marriage to Sheryl Goddard, whom he met when she was 18 and auditioning for his 1975 Welcome to My Nightmare tour, remains strong.
“I loved her before I even married her, and I am still in love with her,” Cooper said.
Despite temptations and decades in the spotlight, Cooper credits his wife for keeping him grounded.Cooper’s latest musical chapter sees a reunion with his original bandmates to record The Revenge Of Alice Cooper, their first album together in over 50 years, released July 24.
His UK tour begins July 22.Reflecting on his legacy and mortality, Cooper is clear-eyed and solemn, saying: “Heaven and hell are real and one day I will have to answer to Jesus.”
