You would think that being famous would be a dream come true, but some of the most famous celebrities say it isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Nicki Minaj recently opened up about fame and how she believes it causes more harm than good and why she believes that fame can lead to early death for many celebrities.

While accepting her fifth consecutive trophy for best female hip-hop artist at the BET Awards in June, Minaj shared a story about a near-death experience.

“The other day, I really thought I was about to die. … And I didn’t call the ambulance, because I thought, ‘Well, if I call the ambulance, it’s going to be on TMZ. And it made me realize: I don’t care what anybody gotta say. I’ma do me. I’ma do me.”

Her story confused and shocked fans, so Minaj used a recent interview to clarify things a bit.

“I was making a point to say that the business kills so many people and we don’t even realize it,” she said. “I can only imagine how many people in this business have died because they may not have wanted to … be embarrassed publicly. We care so much about what the world thinks that we don’t live, really.”

Nicki Minaj opens up to new levels for her latest FADER Magazine cover interview –> http://t.co/OJzaq35KDO pic.twitter.com/tVMrEvdlXG

— BET (@BET) August 6, 2014

Minaj’s story is one that many celebrities are familiar with. Being famous means that someone is almost always watching your every move and judging every mistake.

Although it seems extreme that Minaj would rather die than be embarrassed, it is something many other celebrities can relate to and may be the reason so many celebrities die alone in hotel rooms or in their homes and from conditions or circumstances that may have been helped or prevented if they would have only asked for help.

Image via Wikimedia Commons