Natalie Cole: Overcoming Addiction While Living Up to Her Late Father’s Legacy

Born on February 6, 1950, Natalie Cole was the daughter of jazz and pop legend Nat King Cole and Maria Cole. Raised in privilege and surrounded by music, Natalie spent her early years in Hancock Park, a wealthy neighborhood in Los Angeles. However, her seemingly charmed upbringing masked deep emotional challenges.

A Childhood of Distance and Loss

Because of her parents' demanding touring schedules, Natalie was often left in the care of family members, maids, and nannies. In 1964, she enrolled at Northfield Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts. Just a year later, her father passed away from lung cancer—a diagnosis that had been kept from her. Natalie was only 14 years old, and the emotional disconnect from such a major loss would echo throughout her life.

After returning to California, she graduated from Buckley School, where she was first introduced to drugs. Her drug use escalated to heroin during her time at the University of Massachusetts, even as she began exploring her own musical path.

Pursuing Music—But Not Her Father’s

Natalie didn't fully embrace music until her senior year of college. She joined a band called Black Magic, performing rock, R&B, and pop—carefully avoiding jazz or any of her father's songs. Touring the U.S. and the Caribbean, she carved out her own identity, even as her mother worried that Natalie’s career might tarnish the Nat King Cole legacy.

Struggles With Addiction and Encounters With Grace

Natalie’s life took darker turns as she became entangled with heroin and cocaine. Yet, she has openly testified about how God sent angels to help her triumph over addiction.

In a candid interview with CBN, Natalie shared:

“I had no fear, and I think that is one of the insanities of being on drugs, that you aren’t afraid of anything. When I did the 'I’m sorry, God, if You get me out of this, I’ll never do it again,' I did that when I went to prison. When I went to this ladies' prison in Canada because I got busted for heroin in 1973, I said ‘Lord, please. If You get me out of this, I will never put myself in a position like this again. I will turn myself around. I’ll be good. I’ll be real good.’”

But her drug use continued.

When asked how she even knew to call on God, she said:

“Oh please, that’s inborn in all of us to call on God. That’s the first thing we say: ‘Oh God, help me.’ Why not? I think that’s a part of what He put in us, and what we do with the rest of it is a choice we make. I think it is something that everybody knows about God. When you have put all your faith in man and continue to be disappointed, don’t you hope there is something out there that is not of human element?”

Redemption Through Music and Family Support

In 1974, Natalie signed her first record deal with Capitol Records. Ironically, on her birthday in 1975, she was arrested in Canada for heroin possession. With her mother’s help, the story was kept from the headlines and she received only three months of probation.

She credited her recovery to the love and prayers of her father’s side of the family:

“My Aunt Bay had what we call a hotline to the Lord,” said Natalie in her Livin’ for Love biopic.

Though surrounded by people of faith, Natalie admitted feeling like Doubting Thomas:

“I doubt that God could be good to me.”

The Breakthrough

In the spring of 1975, Natalie released her debut album, Inseparable, which went platinum and earned her two Grammy Awards: Best New Artist and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. She ended Aretha Franklin’s eight-year winning streak in that category.

Through the late 70s, Natalie continued to release music and received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 1979. The 80s, however, were quiet as she underwent rehab and finally reached sobriety in the mid-1980s.

In 1991, she honored her father’s legacy with Unforgettable…with Love, a tribute album that topped the Billboard 200 and earned multiple Grammys, including Record of the Year.

True Grace Through Jesus Christ

Natalie Cole's story is one of divine redemption.

Despite multiple overdoses, failed relationships, and dark valleys, Natalie learned that Jesus Christ was her anchor:

“I had finally managed to get myself into a place where I was actually content for Jesus to just be the man in my life. I didn’t need anything else. I didn’t need anybody else. A man would come in and that was just not me. I was just in a state of desperation for many years. I really wanted a man in my life so badly it was pathetic. It was pathetic because it took so much of my time and it took so much out of me. I realized that every time I did that I would give myself away. I was not keeping the most important part. And the most important part was what God wanted to use of me. I had found myself in a place were I was giving my best to the man who deserved it--and that was Jesus in my life. Then He gave me a man that I deserved. He didn’t have to do that.”

Legacy and Eternal Rest

Her 2000 biopic, Livin’ for Love: The Natalie Cole Story, portrayed her battles and triumphs—showcasing a woman who not only preserved but strengthened her father’s legacy while discovering the true meaning of love, joy, and healing without damaging vices.

On December 31, 2015, Natalie Cole passed away. But we rejoice, for Heaven has called her name.

Inspired by Natalie Cole's Story?

If her story resonates with you, consider reading The Archives of BFF. This powerful series follows a music group’s day-by-day testimony to Christ, sharing raw struggles and redemptive breakthroughs that once remained hidden in fear.

[Explore The Archives of BFF →]