PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

Ozzy Osbourne beat drugs, booze, but still struggles with cigarettes

Ozzy Osbourne has lived through his bouts with drugs and alcohol and now
the heavy-metal hero is trying to beat another demon -- nicotine.
``Toughest thing I've ever had to kick in my life,'' Osbourne told the
Boston Globe. ``Worse than smack, cocaine, crack, anything . . . It's too
easy for me to go out and buy a pack of cigarettes.'' Osbourne says he's
using ``the patch'' in his campaign to quit smoking as he leads the Ozzfest
'98 heavy-metal tour.

Quaid says he was on road to ruin, credits wife for standing by him

Actor Dennis Quaid says he was on the road to jail eight years ago when he
got the message it was time to turn his life around.

``I think I would have crashed and burned no matter what, because I was
ready for a crash and burn,'' Quaid told TV Guide. ``I have nobody but
myself to blame. I was partying very hard. Robert Downey Jr. got arrested.
I didn't. There were plenty of times I probably could have been.''

Quaid, who makes his directorial debut with TNT's ``Everything That Rises''
and is about to star in the remake of ``The Parent Trap,'' credits his
wife, Meg Ryan, with standing by him during the rough times.

``It's great to have that kind of support,'' he said. ``And I think I bring
a certain stability to her life. Basically we make each other laugh. We are
really good friends and help each other get through things.''

From Mercury News wire services

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski