Billie Joe Armstrong Was ‘Drinking Heavily’ According To Green Day Drummer’s Ex Wife

The ex-wife of Green Day drummer Tre Cool has told Celebuzz that Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong had been drinking heavily the night that he had an onstage meltdown in Las Vegas, an incident which prompted the punk rocker to enter rehab two days later. Cool's former spouse, Claudia Suarez Wright, said that Armstrong had been sober for a year but hit the bottle again on the day of the iHeartRadio Festival, which took place in Vegas last Friday (September 21st).

Wright reported, "When he was in Vegas he was drinking a lot. The night of the show he had been drinking. In Las Vegas there's a lot of temptation to drink and it's tough to be around when you're fighting against it. They have a new album coming out and it's a demanding lifestyle. It's very difficult." She added, "He's my son's godfather so it's very hard for kids to see this happen. And it must be very difficult for his wife and family."

Wright confirmed that Armstrong had entered rehab with the support of his family. The band issued a statement last Sunday (September 23rd) saying that the singer/guitarist was seeking treatment for "substance abuse."

Armstrong began his tirade when he was told that Green Day had one minute left in their set at the festival -- after it had already been cut by 20 minutes to reportedly allow more time for Usher to perform.

He screamed from the stage at promoters for two minutes, saying, "Gimme a f***in' break, one minute left. One minute f***in' left. You're gonna give me one minute?! . . . I've been around since f***in' 1988 and you're gonna give me one f***in' minute?! You've gotta be kidding me." Armstrong then smashed his guitar and stormed off the stage.

The incident came shortly after the band had to cancel a show in Italy after Armstrong was hospitalized for an undisclosed illness. It was later said that he was suffering from "severe dehydration."

The first of Green Day's three new albums, Uno!, arrived this past Tuesday (September 25th), with the band scheduled to begin a lengthy North American tour in November.