David Hasselhoff's Excessive Drinking Started After Divorce

An idle mind is the devil's playground.

The old adage may apply to David Hasselhoff's booze binge after wrapping taping for America's Got Talent last week. Since the 2007 video his daughter Taylor Ann published -- remember the unfortunate vision of Hoff writhing shirtless and drunk on the floor while eating a burger? -- he's pleasantly surprised the public by staging a comeback with respectable-enough Hollywood gigs.

But sadly, it appears he's fallen again. Sunday afternoon at 3:30 p.m., 57-year-old Hasselhoff was rushed from his home in Encino to an area hospital after consuming a day's-straight worth of alcohol (his alleged cocktail of choice? Vodka). It's reported his 17-year-old daughter Hayley and his male assistant were home with him. One source said Hayley smacked Hasselhoff's face to keep him conscious and then called Pamela Bach, her mom and David's ex-wife, for help. Reports suggest a friend of Bach called 911, and Hayley cried hysterically as she accompanied Hoff in the ambulance.

This is Hasselhoff's second hospital admission for alcoholism since last May, when his blood-alcohol content came in at a reported 0.39 (nearly five times the legal limit in California). Some sources say he's been hospitalized six times in the last few years related to complications with alcohol.

Hoff's benders seem to have started after his 2006 divorce from Pamela Bach, for which Hoff cited irreconcilable differences but Bach pointed to Hasselhoff's abusive behavior. He was awarded full legal custody of their two daughters. Nineteen-year-old Taylor, who demanded in the 2007 drunken video that Hoff promise her he'd stop drinking, now attends college at the University of Arizona. There's no word yet on how yesterday's disaster might affect his custody rights with Hayley.

More Photos »

Here are some recent pictures of Pamela Bach, Hayley Hasselhoff and David Hasselhoff.