Jack Black says he started using cocaine at 14-years-old, shortly after his parent's divorce

The actor has also spoken about losing his elder brother Howard to Aids in the 1980s

The actor credited a school therapist for helping him through his past issues (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

Jack Black has revealed he began using cocaine aged 14, a few years after his parents divorced.

Speaking to Parade magazine, Black says he recalls “lots of turmoil from that time period”.

“I was having a lot of troubles with cocaine… I was hanging out with some pretty rough characters. I was scared to go to school [because] one of them wanted to kill me. I wanted to get out of there.”

The actor says although he had a supportive family, it was a school therapist who helped him overcome the issues.

“I spilled my guts [to the therapist], telling him I felt guilty about stealing from my mom to get cocaine. I cried like a baby. It was a huge release and a huge relief. I left feeling euphoric, like an enormous weight had been lifted from me. It changed me,” he said.

During the interview, Black, also reflected on the loss of his elder brother Howard, who died of Aids in 1989.

“I have two gay siblings: my big sister, Rachel, and my big brother, Howard… [Death] didn’t happen quickly. We all saw the deterioration. He was only 31. So very young. We were robbed of something so precious. It was devastating”, the rock singer said.

The 46-year-old, who also performs as part of the band Tenacious D, credits Howard as being “a big influence on me”, taking Black to his first rock concert. “He was so vibrant, creative, amazing. He shaped my taste in music,” Black said.

Black has two children Samuel and Thomas, with wife Tanya.