Longtime Poison bandmates, Bret Michaels and C.C. DeVille, are the definition of friendship through thick and thin.
In this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands today, Michaels, 60, opens up about the years of ups and downs in his relationship with DeVille, including their headline-fueling brawl at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards.
“C.C. and I get along 99 percent of the time. When it goes bad, it turns into a fistfight,” Michaels says of the volatile moment, which prompted DeVille to leave the band. “Parting ways [then] was heartbreaking for me, but he’s one of my best friends now.”
Years after their brawl, Michaels and DeVille were able to find their way back to each other, amidst DeVille’s struggles with addiction.
“He had been abandoned by a lot of his friends, and I knew he was in trouble,” Michaels says. “He had this amazingly beautiful house up in the Hollywood Hills, and I went up there, kicked in his front door and helped him get healthy. I just said, ‘This is going to be tough love, brother, but whether we’re in a band again together or not, I’m your friend.'”
Read more at PEOPLE.com, and for more on Bret Michaels’ life at 60, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere now.