As much as I love Wardell, I tend to believe the junkie stories. His playing changed markedly in the last years, with greatly reduced mental and physical facility, IMO (obviously not proof of anything). And, as I recall from the Ravett film, Clark Terry alludes to Wardell using. (If I'm wrong about this latter point - it's been years since I've seen the film - my apologies.)
In what might be a rare display of discretion on my part, I never asked his widow before she passed. ("One of his widows/ex-wives", I suppose...)
FWIW, JR Monterose told me Wardell got high in his hotel room, started jumping on his bed, fell off and broke his neck. Friends in the room drove him to the desert so they wouldn't be involved.
jeez!
was there any truth to the story that he was involved with meyer lansky?