NEW YORK -- Former "Two and a Half Men" star Charlie Sheen says he has HIV.
In an interview Tuesday on NBC's "Today," the 50-year-old Sheen says he tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS.
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Drug and alcohol use have marred Sheen's personal and professional life in recent years. He was kicked off CBS' "Two and a Half Men" in 2011 after an explosive meltdown that included calling the show's producer "a contaminated little maggot."
His escapades have also included the revelation that he spent more than $50,000 as a client of "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss' prostitution ring.
"Two and a Half Men" debuted in 2003 and starred Sheen as womanizing bachelor Charlie Harper. It made Sheen one of TV's highest-paid actors and at its peak was TV's most-watched sitcom.
AP
In this April 11, 2013 file photo, Charlie Sheen, a cast member in "Scary Movie V," poses at the Los Angeles premiere of the film at the Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles. (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, file)