Grammer speaks out about addictions

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Actor Kelsey Grammer says his sister's murder more than 20 years ago in Colorado "probably was the catalyst" into his many addictions and failed marriages.

In the summer of 1975, Grammer's 18-year-old sister, Karen, was abducted in Colorado Springs, Colo., raped, slashed and abandoned, bleeding to death. The man convicted in the crime is eligible for parole later this year, and Grammer says he wants to attend the hearing.

"I am angry about him. I never had the opportunity to speak for my sister before. I will now," Grammer, 52, said in an interview with Parade magazine and recounted by CBS.

Grammer, 20 when his sister was killed, says his grief over her murder "was probably the catalyst that got me into a really big problem for at least the next 15 years."

Despite professional success as the pretentious Frasier Crane on "Cheers" and its spin-off "Frasier," his drinking worsened and he experimented with a variety of drugs. Twice arrested, he later served 90 days house arrest and three years' probation.

After two marriages ended in divorce, Grammer married Camille Donatacci, whom he met in 1996.

"It was love at first sight," Grammer said.