How Rob Lowe Took His Tragedy And Mistakes And Made One Of The Most Fulfilling Lives In Hollywood

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Actor Rob Lowe’s joyful face might be one of the most iconic mugs in Hollywood, but for Lowe, the path to optimism and a healthy fulfilled life was a rough one.

Over the past few years Lowe has revealed more and more about his life and rise to fame as a child star, followed by addiction and what he did to get his life back on track.

The actor also cited the death of his mother in the early 2000s as a turning point in his life and a tragedy that he has had to find ways to overcome, according to Cheat Sheet

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Lowe became a familiar face in the 80s when he was one of America’s teen heartthrobs, and while the actor appeared to have everything a teen could want, his world was rocked when his choice to make a sex tape when he was in his 20's with an underage girl caused him to be catapulted into the news, and not in a positive light.

The 1988 sex tape, which was illegal on two fronts, both the girl being underaged, and the fact that he filmed his interaction with her. Following that scandal, Lowe’s career declined sharply.

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According to Lowe, he used the backlash from that experience to get sober and find his way back to leading a life that was not only gratifying for him but allowed him to be in the hearts of Americans once again.

Eventually, Lowe began to act again on the small screen, notably he was a key actor on “The West Wing” “Brothers & Sisters” and “Parks and Recreation.” More recently, Lowe has begun to work as the star of a primetime show based in Texas, “9-1-1 Lone Star.”

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These days Lowe’s life is a lot calmer than his wild child years. But even though his life is stable, he has still suffered heartbreak.

When Lowe was in his late 30’s his mother was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, something that caused him and his two brothers to step up and care for her. However, according to Cheat Sheet, the stress of watching his mother suffer was incredible.

Lowe’s mother sadly did not survive and passed in 2003. The actor, however, said that going through that experience while working taught him a lot and he has told others that they should “go easy on themselves” when they are caring for a family member.

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“Without you taking care of yourself, you can’t take care of anybody else,” Lowe said of caring for your family. “You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to know all the answers. You are likely to make some mistakes, and that’s fine.”

Since the death of his mother the actor hasn’t stopped giving back and takes active roles in multiple charities according to Cheat Sheet, including Habitat for Humanity, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Melanoma Research Foundation, ONE Campaign, Stand Up To Cancer, and many more.