NEW YORK- Former "Two and a Half Men" star Charlie Sheen says he has the HIV virus.
    
In an interview Tuesday, the 50-year-old Sheen says he tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS.
    
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.