Why Andrew O'Keefe needs to learn from his Uncle Johnny's deadly mistake - before it is too late

Andrew O'Keefe once said his role model was his father,a towering and respected figure in the legal world who served as Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.

But it is the example set by his rock and roll star uncle which the disgraced ex-TV star has most emulated.

Johnny O'Keefe,who was known by his nickname 'the wild one' while his lawyer brother was dubbed 'the mild one',was a trailblazing figure in the Australian music industry,recording almost 30 top 40 hits between the late fifties and early seventies. 

He also carved out a successful career as a television presenter,hosting Six O'Clock Rock on Saturday nights,which later became the eponymous Johnny O'Keefe Show on Channel Seven.

Yet,amid all the success and acclaim,he suffered terribly with drug and alcohol addiction,eventually dying from an overdose in 1978,aged 43.

It's a depressing tale thrown in stark relief when you consider Andrew O'Keefe's own sad decline and very public battle with drug dependency.

Last week,the former host of Deal or No Deal,52,had three court appearances as he battles a slew of complicated domestic violence and drug-related charges.

Last week,Channel Nine published troubling footage of O'Keefe shouting at police officers after being arrested for a 'violent and degrading' assault in September 2021 (pictured)

'I think when I split up from my wife Eleanor,that was my time. And the thing I always believed in most of all was the power of love and combining with someone to make something special,and when I lost that,I thought it was all meaningless.'

He added: 'In life,we have several choices on how to deal with things,and some people work their way through their pain,or turn to alcohol or drugs or eating.

'And I feel very lucky that in this country,we have these institutions and the expertise to be able to deal with those things and get on top of it.'

His candour was brave and disarming. 

But his seat on the other side of sofa was no doubt a painful reminder of how far he had fallen since his days of regularly standing in for Kochie during his 12 years with Weeknd Sunrise. 

Little did he know it then,but he still had much further to fall. 

Andrew O'KeefeChannel Seven