Johnson was born on August 20, 1960, in Steele, Missouri, and was raised by his grandmother in Charleston. His mother had substance abuse problems, including alcohol addiction, and Johnson had fetal alcohol spectrum disorder as a result. As an adult, Johnson was arrested and imprisoned for robbery and burglary, but he was released on parole in May 1993. Johnson also suffered from substance abuse in his adult life, and in January 1994, he asked his parole officer for assistance with alcohol addiction.
