Have drugs ruined Eminem's looks? Former addict appears gaunt and haggard as he speaks at an awards show

He's admitted that his past drug use almost cost him his life.

And if the latest pictures of Eminem are any indication, the years of abuse seem to have had a lasting impact on his face.

As the rapper spoke at the Wall Street Journal's Innovator Of The Year awards in New York on Wednesday, he looked haggard and gaunt.

While dressed in his usual uniform of black with a beanie, the lines and prominent veins in Eminem's pallid face were clearly visible. 

Eminem's drug abuse started during the filming of his movie 8 Mile, when he was on set 16 hours a day and could not sleep. 

After being given an Ambien he sought out a prescription, and became hooked on the pills.

This soon led to him taking what he calls a 'ridiculous amount' of pills - he has admitted to abusing prescription drugs Ambien, Vicodin and Valium.

Not what he was: Before his drug abuse the rapper, right, looked fresh faced

He went into rehab in 2005 and then took a three-year break from his career, before releasing the albums Relapse and Recovery.

In a documentary, How to Make Money Selling Drugs, released last year Eminem revealed that he nearly died from his addiction when he was hospitalised following an overdose.

'Had I got to the hospital about two hours later, I would have died,' he said. 'My organs were shutting down. My liver, kidneys, everything. 

'They were gonna have to put me on dialysis, they didn’t think I was gonna make it.'

After his release from hospital Eminem only managed to stay off drugs for a month before relapsing.

Speaking His surprise appearance saw him honor his former mentor Dr. Dre and Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine for their entrepreneurship

But having spent time in rehab, and with the help of friends, the 42-year-old has his life back on track.

He is gearing up to release his double-disc album ShadyXV featuring stars including Slaughterhouse, 50 Cent, Big Sean, DeJ Loaf later this month.

And on Wednesday his surprise appearance saw him honor his former mentor Dr. Dre and Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine for their entrepreneurship.

Taking to the podium, Eminem stated: 'Dre and Jimmy are like a force of nature.

'As an example of how powerful they are, they had me fly here all the way from Detroit to speak publicly, and I really hate public speaking.'