Richard AshcroftFormer Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft has lashed out at drug addicted rockstars like Pete Doherty, warning them that they face early deaths if they continue abusing drugs.

Richard was known as “Mad Richard” early in his career when he was a heavy user of LSD but gave up drugs in the mid-1990s and went onto write the hit song “The Drugs Don’t Work”.

Speaking on Xfm, he said: “If there’s any drug addled rock star out there listening, all you’re going to be is a picture on a T-shirt in five years time on some poor kid who thinks you were cool.”

“But all you’ll be doing is rotting. There’ll be worms eating you.”