Rock and Roll Suicides

Being a star isn’t as easy as one would think.  Fame takes its toll on personal lives and even drove some to taking their own lives.  These rock and roll legends tragically succumbed to the pressures of stardom.

Joe Meek

Joe Meek was a 1960’s record producer of a band called The Tornadoes.  His innovative recording methods changed the recording industry forever.  Unfortunately, he had an unhealthy fixation on his idol, Buddy Holly, and was obsessed with the occult.  His life was further complicated by the fact that his homosexuality was a crime at the time in the United Kingdom.  He was also deeply effected by his paranoia, drug use and attacks of rage and depression.  On February 3, 1967, on the eighth anniversary of Holly’s death, Meek shot his elderly landlady before turning the gun on himself.  At the time of his death, he was being investigated as a possible suspect in the murder of a homosexual prostitute named Bernard Oliver, who had been previously linked to him.

Del Shannon

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In the 1950’s, he formed a band that was later called the Big Little Show Band and added keyboard player Max Crook, who brought his brainchild called the Musitron along with him.  The Musitron was an early synthesizer that added a whole new dimension to music and revolutionized the industry.  After forming his own label called Burlee, Del went on to record several top ten hits and was known in the U.S. as the Do Wop king. 

He recorded “Hats Off To Larry” before blowing his own hat off with a .22 caliber rifle on February 8, 1990.  Del was recovering from dental surgery and was taking pain pills as well as Prozac.  It is believed that the combination of the two caused him to take his own life.  Check out these YouTube videos  featuring Del Shannon.

Ian Curtis

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Ian Curtis sang and wrote lyrics for the British band called Joy Division.  His lyrics were laden with a sense of isolation, death and urban decay, which was particularly unnerving coming from such a shy person who had an awkward demeanor.

He suffered from severe epilepsy at an early age and many could never be sure if his wild on stage antics were part of the act of if he was actually having a seizure. He hung himself in his own kitchen on May 18, 1980 on the eve of their first big U.S. tour.  The reasons he gave were complications from his epilepsy and his failed marriage.  YouTube has a rather large playlist featuring Ian Curtis.  Click here to check out their selection.

John Ritchie (A.K.A Sid Vicious)

The Sex Pistols bass guitarist led a troubled life to say the least, but on October 12, 1978, his twenty year old girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, was found stabbed to death in the Chelsea Hotel in New York City.  Sid was wandering the hallways, distraught, agitated and crying.  His face was bruised and he reportedly told a woman living in the room next door “I killed her….I can’t live without her.”

He was arrested and failed in two suicide bids while in police custody for the crime.  He succeeded the third time when he overdosed on heroin on February 2, 1979.  Ironically, Sid died after hosting a party to celebrate his bond release from jail.

Paul Williams

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A singer in The Temptations, he was found dead in a parking lot next to his car after shooting himself on August 17, 1973.  He was just a few blocks away from Hitsville USA, which is the Motown record label headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. 

Although he had a great many psychological problems and he was upset because of the differences he was having with the rest of the band, there were mysterious circumstances which led some to suspect foul play.  An autopsy report indicated that he shot himself and also stated that in order to sustain the wounds and entry trajectory, he would have had to shoot himself with his right hand.  Paul was left handed.  You can  click here to check out a YouTube video featuring The Temptations.

Richard Manuel

Richard was at odds with Bob Dylan and The Band for many years because his alcohol and drug abuse problems interfered with his performances.  However, a reunion tour was planned for 1986.  After performing at the Cheek to Cheek Lounge in Orlando, Florida on March 4, 1986, Manuel seemed to be in good spirits and thanked  fellow band member Garth Hudson for “twenty five years of incredible music.”   Tragically, he hung himself in his hotel room later that night.

Kurt Cobain

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Kurt was diagnosed with bronchitis and severe laryngitis while on tour and after a performance at Terminal Eins in Muncih, Germany on March 1, 1994.  On the morning of April 5, he was found by his wife Courtney Love just in time to save his life from an overdose of heroin.  Although she tried to warn the authorities that he was suicidal and even arranged for an intervention, nothing could be done before he died. 

On April 8, 1994, his body was discovered by an electrician who was working on his home.  He had shot himself and left a suicide note stating “I haven’t felt the excitement of listening to as well as creating music, along with really writing….for too many years now.”  His wife, Courtney, read the note at his funeral.   A few days after that, a 16 year old Turkish girl shot herself in a “tribute” to Kurt.  His blood also contained a high level of cocaine and Valium and the coroner report indicated that he had been dead for about three days, which means he more than likely died the same day that his wife found him.  Click here to see a list of YouTube videos featuring Kurt Cobain.

Jeff Buckley

The singer/guitarist died in 1997 in the Wolf River near Memphis Tennessee.  It is said that Buckley, who was fixated on Led Zeppelin, was heard singing “Whole Lotta Love” as he swam into the river.  The tragic death of Jeff Buckley will always be a mystery due to the fact that many believe it was an accident while others think he drowned himself.  An ongoing controversy still remains as to whether or not Jeff actually committed suicide or if his death was an accident.

This this last story is really unexpected.  If you are over fifty you will surely remember the singing nun:

Sister Luc-Gabrielle ( A.K.A The Singing Nun)

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I am only including this one because the story is so surprising and unexpected.  She was a Belgian nun with an acoustic guitar who became an unlikely star in 1963 when she recorded the song “Dominique.”  She left her convent to discover the swinging sixties, but her new career flopped.  Facing bankruptcy, she took her own life by carbon monoxide poisoning in a double suicide pact with her lesbian lover.

Look for more on the tragic suicides of rock stars in my upcoming sequel, Rock and Roll Suicides: Volume II.

Other articles by Bren Parks include:

• Making Movies: Stars Who Died Undone
• Six of the Greatest and Deadliest Bands in Rock and Roll
• Strange Acts of Entertainment
• Making Movies: Stars Who Collide
• Making Movies: Beyond the Call of Duty