Heather Locklear’s ups and downs over the years

In the early days of her career, Heather Locklear was the platonic ideal of a blonde bombshell, idolized by real and fictional fans.

After she rose to fame playing cop Stacy Sheridan in the early 1980s TJ WhoreLocklear also became a tabloid regular due to her 1986 marriage to Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee. Her association with the metal band only made her seem cooler — just ask Wayne and Garth, who ranked her number one on their list of babes in Wayne’s world. (Locklear made a cameo appearance as himself in Wayne’s World 2which hit theaters in 1993.)

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Locklear continued to be a TV show, starring Melrose place, Turn City And Hot in Cleveland and appear in films, including Uptown girls And The perfect man. “I have always loved being on TV. I loved being in a series,” she said PopEntertainment.com in 2013 when she joined the cast of Franklin & Bash. “I love always having a regular place to go.”

Locklear’s TV career has declined somewhat in recent years, but to her fans, she will always be Amanda Woodward – or Sammy Jo Dean or Agent Stacy.

Keep scrolling for a look back at Locklear’s ups and downs over the years:

1982

Locklear made her first appearance in Season 2 of TJ Whore as Stacy Sheridan, who works as a police officer in a fictional, unnamed California town. The show that played William Shatner as the titular character, ran for five seasons and ended in 1986. During this period, Locklear was also a regular on the primetime soap opera Dynastywhere she played Sammy Jo Carrington.

1986

Locklear, then 24, married Lee, then 23, after meeting him a year earlier at a REO Speedwagon concert. Locklear actually popped the question and asked Lee to marry her after only three months of dating. The duo divorced in 1993. Lee later said that his infidelity caused the implosion of the romance. “F–king with porn stars ruined my marriage,” he said blender in 2004. “That was in ’93, right before I divorced Heather.”

1993

Locklear landed her next pivotal role, playing the ruthless advertising executive Amanda Woodward Melrose place. She earned four consecutive Golden Globe nominations for her performance and Amanda landed up TV Guide‘s list of “The Biggest TV Bitches.” said Locklear Weekly entertainment in 2009 that “being a good TV bitch” is “just trying to be strong and do what you gotta do.”

1994

After finalizing her divorce from Lee, Locklear married Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora after meeting him through mutual friends. The couple welcomed daughter Ava in 1997. Locklear and Sambora divorced in 2007, but they have remained amicable co-parents to Ava ever since. “We’re better friends now than ever,” Sambora said People in 2020, adding that Locklear was “still hot”.

After the divorce, Sambora moved on with Lockle’s boyfriend Dennis Richards. Rumors circulated at the time that there was overlap in the two relationships, but Richards later denied that any infidelity took place – claiming she was not still friends with Locklear when she started dating Sambora. “I don’t want to say what caused the breakup, but she and I weren’t even talking at the time,” Richards said Red book in 2008. “It was never like we would shop and go back to her place and I would flirt with her husband. Yes, I got together with Heather’s soon-to-be ex-husband, but no, I wasn’t having an affair with him. If Heather and I had been friends back then, I never would have crossed that line. But we weren’t. The friendship was beyond saving.”

1999

After the end of Melrose placeLocklear moved on to her next TV role on ABC’s Turn Cityopposite Michael J Fox. She played campaign manager Caitlin Moore, who spearheaded Randall Winston’s (Barry Boswick) running for the Senate.

2007

Shortly after finalizing her divorce from Sambora, Locklear moved on from her previous one Melrose place Co-star Jack Wagner. The duo announced their engagement in August 2011, but called it off three months later.

2008

In March, a person claiming to be Lockle’s doctor called paramedics to the actress’ home, claiming they feared she had overdosed on prescription drugs. Locklear’s representative said the alleged incident was a false alarm, but in June Locklear reported to an anxiety and depression treatment center. Two months after leaving the institution, she was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. She later pleaded no reckless driving and was sentenced to three years of informal probation and was ordered to pay a $700 fine and complete a DMV driving safety class.

2009

Locklear reprized her role as Amanda Woodward on the Melrose place reboot, starring Kate Cassidy an obviously Amanda-inspired character named Ella.

2011

Locklear was arrested on a hit-and-run charge after a “concerned citizen” saw her “driving forward and backward over sunglasses and revving her motorcycle” in a parking lot, according to a police report. She was released on $5,000 bail and was never prosecuted.

2012

In January, Locklear’s sister called 9-1-1 because she feared the actress was in danger by mixing alcohol and prescription drugs. Locklear was taken to hospital, but his condition was soon reported to be stable.

2018

In February, Locklear was arrested for domestic violence and assault against a police officer, who responded to a call about her and her boyfriend, Chris Heisser, row. Locklear was arrested again in June and charged with two counts of battery following a 9-1-1 call at her home. Hours after being released on bail, she was hospitalized for a possible overdose. In August, she pleaded not to contest the charges of both arrests and was ordered to spend 30 days in a mental health facility.

2020

Locklear announced her engagement to Heisser, her former high school sweetheart, in April. “Heather and Chris are in a really good place right now,” an insider told exclusive Us weekly a year later. “They couldn’t be happier. They go to great lengths to make the other person feel special​—she cooks for him, he buys her flowers, and so on.” That same month, Lockle celebrated one year of sobriety.

2023

In June, Locklear sparked concern from fans and observers alike when she was photographed walking along the edge of a building in Malibu, California. An insider told Us at the time that the actress was “struggling” with her sobriety. “She has been drinking and told friends over a month ago that she wanted to go back to rehab,” the source said. “Friends say she may never have stopped drinking after a judge ordered unsupervised probation in 2019. She had no supervision, so no one knows if she ever stopped drinking, even then.”