Artists Who Have Committed Suicide By Hanging
Artists Who Have Committed Suicide By Hanging
1. Ian Cutis (Joy Division)
In 1980, Ian Curtis' marriage was falling apart and his health was failing due to a battle with epilepsy. On May 18th of that year, Curtis watched the Werner Herzog film Stroszek, listened to the Iggy Pop album The Idiot then hung himself in his kitchen. He left a note reported to say, "At this moment I wish I were dead. I just can't cope anymore."
Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division
2. Michael Hutchence (INXS)
Right before the last leg of a 1997 world tour, the lead singer of INXS, Michael Hutchence, was found dead in a Sydney Ritz-Carlton hotel room. He was naked and a leather belt was found near his body that indicated he had hung himself. Although the official cause of death is a suicide, many contend that Hutchence actually died by mistake while participating in erotic asphyxiation.
3. Kevin Wilkinson (The Waterboys, China Crisis, Squeeze)
Kevin Wilkinson was a successful drummer who was a member of The Waterboys, China Crisis and Squeeze during his too-short career. Wilkinson was also an in demand session drummer that worked with artists like the Proclaimers and Fish. He was about to depart on an American tour with Howard Jones in 1999 when his wife Marilyn found him hung to death in their family home near Swindon, England. Kevin was just 41 years old and left three children behind.
4. Brian O'Hara (Fourmost)
Before the Beatles got their very first house gigs a band called the Fourmost had the girls swooning. And although they never saw the success of their famous contemporaries, they did have some hit singles. Some written by Lennon & McCartney. Brian O'Hara was the lead guitarist in the band (pictured furthest left), and in 1999 he was found by Liverpool police in his home dead and hanging by his neck. It's a tragic story deserving of big screen treatment.
Hello Little Girl - The Fourmost
5. Phil Ochs
Phil Ochs was a well known American protest singer who was very active in protesting the Vietnam war. He became more radical after the 1968 Democratic National Convention that saw rioting fueled by a tense political environment. Phil Ochs' mental health declined after this period and he battled manic depression, multiple personality disorder and alcoholism until he hung himself in 1976.
I Ain't Marching Anymore - Phil Ochs
6. Richard Manuel (The Band)
The Band is one of the most influential groups in rock history and a personal favorite of mine. Richard Manuel was a key songwriter in the group and like many other rock & roll tragedies, his life was filled with drug and alcohol abuse. His addictions caused serious issues in his personal life and professional career. On March 4th, 1986 after a gig in Winter Park, Fl. Richard Manual finished a bottle of Grand Marnier, did some lines of cocaine and hung himself in his Quality Inn hotel room. His wife Arlie discovered his body the next morning when she awoke.
7. Jon Lee (Feeder)
The alternative rock band Feeder hailed from Wales and had a single hit in England with the song "Buck Rogers" in 2001. Jon Lee was the band's drummer and he hung himself just a year later from the garage rafters in his Miami home. His suicide is still a mystery to many and it seems to have come completely unexpected. Jon Lee was just 33-years old, had a career on the upswing, a supermodel wife and a young son.
8. James Lawrence (Hope Of The States)
It's ironic that James Lawrence's band Hope Of The States was named after a study on the state of mental healthcare in the United States. It's hard to comprehend how a 26-year old talent like Lawrence could hang himself from the rafters of Peter Gabriel's Real World Studio while putting the finishing touches on his band's debut album for Sony Records. Signing a major label deal and recording a debut would usually be a highlight in a musician's life, so James Lawrence's suicide speaks clearly to the importance of improvements in mental healthcare.
66 Sleepers To Summer - Hope Of The States
9. Pete Ham & Tom Evans (Badfinger)
Badfinger holds the unenviable position of being the only rock band in history to have two of its members commit suicide by hanging. Both Pete Ham and Tom Evans hung themselves (at different times) after struggling with professional and financial problems. There is a story in here somewhere about the immense pressure musicians feel to hold on to success. Interestingly, Pete Ham had serious issues with manager Stan Polley who has been fingered as helping push him over the edge. Ham's suicide note actually referred to Polley as a "soulless bastard."
10. Roy Buchanan
The talented guitarist, blues musician and father of the "Telecaster sound", Roy Buchanan's life followed the unfortunate path of so many before him. He had a lifelong problem with drug and alcohol abuse, which seems to be a consistent link to most musician suicides. In the summer of 1988 this highly influential guitarist was thrown in a Fairifax County, Virginia drunk tank for public intoxication. For several hours, while Buchanan went unsupervised in his inebriated state, he managed to remove his shirt and use it to hang himself in his jail cell. His suicide is disputed by his family.
11. Steve MacDonald (Gorguts)
Gorguts was a technically proficient death metal band from Quebec City, Quebec in Canada. The band has disbanded since the suicide of their drummer Steve MacDonald in 2002. He performed on the band's final album From Wisdom to Hate (he was the third drummer to hold the job for Gorguts). Steve MacDonald had been fighting depression for several years before he ended up hanging himself. Still today, many people hear the word "depression" and associate it with a mood and can't understand how it could drive someone to suicide. But a clinical depression is different than a depressive mood, and it requires attention and professional help. If you think you're depressed, or if you know someone who is, please make sure you can identify the signs and know how to get help.
12. Rozz Williams (Christian Death, Shadow Project)
Many cite Rozz Williams as the founder of goth rock, which is known for its depressive undercurrent. He took his stage name from a gravestone and his music was filled with dark imagery. On April fools day 1998, Rozz Williams was found by his long time roommate Ryan Wildstar hanging in their West Hollywood apartment, but it was no joke. Rozz Williams was just 34 years old.
And Keith Richards is as much God as George Bush is the Prophet Muhammed.
RIP to those who committed suicide
The point is the suicides are so sad, not just for the victim but their survivors. You would think people would take pause, show respect and not have their little "giggle" about it, nuff said.