How T.I. saved Creed singer’s life after a suicide attempt
Atlanta emcee T.I. is mainly known as a musician. In addition to being a rapper, the Bankhead native has also done his fair share of acting and produced his own reality TV show. However, few know that the I’m Serious act once helped save the life of a suicidal celebrity.
T.I. (real name Clifford Harris) has been in the headlines for multiple reasons over his 20-year career. From controversies surrounding his precarious marriage to his arrests for drug charges, the emcee is no stranger to bad publicity. However, in 2006, the P$C frontman made headlines for one very heroic act.
In 2006, Harris had just released his fourth album, King. A number one, platinum-certified project album that saw appearances from the likes of Pharrell, Jamie Foxx and UGK. Following this, Harris was on a high. However, the same cannot be said for Creed vocalist Scott Stapp.
Creed was a popular grunge band during the 2000s. However, there were tensions between members of the Florida rock outfit, one of the members at the centre of the disputes was founding member and singer Scott Stapp. In 2005, following the Creed’s disbandment, Stapp released a solo project. However, he was dealing with mental health issues at the time
In 2006, while in Miami, he attempted to kill himself by jumping off a balcony. He fell 40 feet and broke his hip and nose. He also fractured his skull. In a 2012 interview on VH1’s Big Morning Buzz Live show, Stapp detailed how T.I. was the person who saved his life.
Recalling the incident, he told the hosts, I laid out there for two and a half hours, and my guardian angel showed up — rapper T.I. He immediately took care of the situation and saved my life.” He knew Harris in passing, stating, “I had met T.I. back in 2004, we were both writing songs for The Passion of The Christ: Songs Inspired By soundtrack and we had briefly interacted there and knew what each looked like.”
Stapp continued, “It’s ironic — he walked in, and I found out later it was the only room left in the hotel, and he came in off the street and came out, and as I’m laying on the ledge, blood fell to [T.I.’s] feet, and he looked up, and he had an Alabama hat on. I said, ‘roll tide,’ and then he looked at me and put two and two together and really saved my life.”
T.I. confirmed this in 2018 while speaking to GQ. Recalling the moment from his perspective, Harris explained, “So I step out and look down and don’t see nothing. And then I look up and — ‘Oh shit, it’s a white man up there!’”
He continued, “That’s what really shocked me. Blood shows up real good on a white man. So I’m like, ‘He’s bloody, fucked up.’” However, T.I. went to help him. Although Stapp initially refused, instead, T.I. offered him a hit of his joint if Stapp would allow them to call for some help.
Help eventually came and Stapp has since revealed he is forever grateful. You can hear T.I. speak about Scott Stapp in the video below.