Singer told biographer he also contemplated suicide at the height of his career, according to tapes uncovered by BBC

Bob Dylan was addicted to heroin and contemplated suicide at the height of his fame, according to previously unheard interviews unearthed by the BBC.

After a concert in March 1966, on board a private plane in Lincoln, Nebraska, bound for Denver, the singer told critic Robert Shelton: "I kicked a heroin habit in New York City. I got very, very strung out for a while, I mean really, very strung out. And I kicked the habit. I had about a $25-a-day habit and I kicked it."

It has long been conjectured that Dylan suffered from a drug problem in the mid-60s, but the rumours have never previously been substantiated. "Death to me is nothing as long as I can die fast," he told Shelton. "Many times I've known I could have been able to die fast, and I could have easily gone over and done it.

"I'll admit to having this suicidal thing ... but I came through this time," he said.

Shelton first wrote about Dylan in 1961 and is the author of the biography No Direction Home, The Life and Music of Bob Dylan, published in 1986. The tapes of the previously unheard recordings were uncovered during research for a revised and updated edition, which has been published to coincide with Dylan's 70th birthday on Tuesday (24 May).

Excerpts from the recordings were broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Monday (23 May).