Famous suicides

Deus Ex Machina · 28-01-2012 06:19PM #1

I'm of a morbid disposition, so inevitably I found myself perusing wikipedia's entries which regard the subject of suicide. The most interesting page I found was this: a list of famous people who committed suicide. It's nuts how many successful and famous people killed themselves.

As sad as it is, there was solace in the article too. Like many people I am often despondent about my achievements, always wishing for more despite reaching many of my goals. The number of professional athletes, successful writers, actors, politicians etc who were so down that they decided to make their own quietus clearly indicates that no matter what heights you reach, there's a good chance that they won't bring you happiness. As a person who often falls into the trap of believing that my happiness is predicated on my achievement or non achievement of goals, it was heartening to think that perhaps it's ok to be happy without always striving to some crazy goal.

Interesting list anyway, regardless of your take on it.

TheZohanS · 28-01-2012 06:27PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgbBLKet14E

Mr Trade In · 28-01-2012 06:32PM

I am out of uni sick at the moment, when I go back in September there is a module call the History of Suicide, the lecturer who teaches it is one of the best in the place. It is an interesting subject. If you look at the list of celebrities who have died aged 27, many from suicide it's baffling.

Mr Trade In · 28-01-2012 06:38PM

TheZohan wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgbBLKet14E

Hello Grampa My Old Friend has a nicer ring to it.

yeahimhere · 28-01-2012 06:38PM

Isokelekel (17th century), semi-mythical conqueror of Pohnpei Island in the Carolines and father of the cultural system of modern Pohnpei, tied his penis to a bent palm tree and let go, ripping it off. He bled to death.[100][101][102]

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

What a way to go

Sunnyisland · 28-01-2012 06:41PM

It has on that list Mohamed Atta (2001), 9/11 attacks. Is that sort of death classed as a suicide ?

Mr Trade In · 28-01-2012 06:46PM

realies wrote: »

It has on that list Mohamed Atta (2001), 9/11 attacks. Is that sort of death classed as a suicide ?

9/11 is commonly referred to as a suicide attack, therefore the hijackers did commit suicide.

im invisible · 28-01-2012 06:46PM

some other interesting ones

Alan Turing (1954), English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst and computer scientist, eating an apple laced with cyanide

Scott Nearing (1983), American political activist and conservationist, by self-starvation at 100 years of age

René Favaloro (2000), Argentine cardiac surgeon (created technique for coronary bypass surgery), gunshot to the heart.

Peg Entwistle (1932), English-born American actress, leapt to her death from the "H" in the Hollywood Sign

mattjack · 28-01-2012 06:51PM

Mr Trade In wrote: »

I am out of uni sick at the moment, when I go back in September there is a module call the History of Suicide, the lecturer who teaches it is one of the best in the place. It is an interesting subject. If you look at the list of celebrities who have died aged 27, many from suicide it's baffling.

To add a slightly differant side to that, In my own family my gt grandfather,grandfather ,a cousin and two distant relatives all died at 27.Until my cousin died, my fathers generation was the first group not to have a death in it at 27.Its actually a morbid family joke we have.

admiralofthefleet · 28-01-2012 06:56PM

david caradine - dirty fecker

28-01-2012 06:57PM

I guess this would be considered as a famous suicide?

The above link shows an image of a woman that leaped to her death and landed on a car. While there is no noticeable gore, some people might find it disturbing, so.. yeah.

Deus Ex Machina · 28-01-2012 06:58PM

Deleted User wrote: »

I guess this would be considered as a famous suicide?

The above link shows an image of a woman that leaped to her death and landed on a car. While there is no noticeable gore, some people might find it disturbing, so.. yeah.

She's just sleeping.

Sunnyisland · 28-01-2012 06:59PM

Virginia Woolf (1941) English author, essayist, publisher, and writer of short stories; suicide by drowning.

Never knew this till now.

44leto · 28-01-2012 07:00PM

Marlyn Monroe is not in the list, so she must have been killed by thee Kennedy's.

Deus Ex Machina · 28-01-2012 07:01PM

im invisible wrote: »

some other interesting ones

Apparently a big part of the reason why Turing killed himself was the "hormone treatment" he was receiving as part of his sentence for being as gay as Christmas. He was growing a nice big set of double Ds. A horrific way for anyone to go, but one of history's true crimes by virtue of the fact that he was such a genius and did his country and the world such a service in his cracking of the Enigma code.

SafeSurfer · 28-01-2012 07:09PM

Rezso Seress

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48cTUnUtzx4

Sindri · 28-01-2012 07:11PM

realies wrote: »

Virginia Woolf (1941) English author, essayist, publisher, and writer of short stories; suicide by drowning.

Never knew this till now.

I thought she died by turning on the gas in her kitchen and securing the doors around her with towels so her children didn't die?

ronnie3585 · 28-01-2012 07:11PM

Deus Ex Machina wrote: »

She's just sleeping.

In that person shaped dent.

Gi joe! · 28-01-2012 07:15PM

Deleted User wrote: »

I guess this would be considered as a famous suicide?

The above link shows an image of a woman that leaped to her death and landed on a car. While there is no noticeable gore, some people might find it disturbing, so.. yeah.

That photo really is fascinating, how she managed to end up looking like that from that kind of fall. With my very morbid personality, I have seen a lot of aftermaths of suicide, and let me tell you, the results are far from looking this peaceful!

Back to what the OP was saying, I completely agree. The fact that so many people, who seemed to have it all, and then ending it out of the blue, reflects our inherent vulnerability as humans and our struggle to deal with the human condition. Look at the recent tragedy of footballer Gary Speed, who was living an apparently charmed life. He gave literally no indication of what he was about to do.

Others, like Bill Zeller, who left a heart wrenching note to explain his motive, give us a look into the mind of someone capable of committing such a shocking act.

(Warning, not pleasant reading at all)
http://gizmodo.com/5726667/the-agonizing-last-words-of-bill-zeller

Cork boy 55 · 28-01-2012 07:18PM

disgusting thread IMO

GoldenTickets · 28-01-2012 07:23PM

Sindri wrote: »

I thought she died by turning on the gas in her kitchen and securing the doors around her with towels so her children didn't die?

That was Sylvia Plath.

Don Booker · 28-01-2012 07:24PM

Leon Jackson. 1970-2009.
RIP.

beeroclock · 28-01-2012 07:28PM

Deus Ex Machina wrote: »

Apparently a big part of the reason why Turing killed himself was the "hormone treatment" he was receiving as part of his sentence for being as gay as Christmas. He was growing a nice big set of double Ds. A horrific way for anyone to go, but one of history's true crimes by virtue of the fact that he was such a genius and did his country and the world such a service in his cracking of the Enigma code.

Yep agree 100% with your comments

All the books ive read which mention the man say there was no official record of suicide as far as I know and I think his mother even tried to deny it, but I dont think there is any doubt whatsoever he died by his own hand

Mercurius · 28-01-2012 07:28PM

I don't see Nick Drake on the list.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gO7uemm6Yo

I guess the black eyed dog called out his name once too often.

beeroclock · 28-01-2012 07:30PM

Cork boy 55 wrote: »

disgusting thread IMO

Given how taboo a subject this is (suicide not the famous people bit!) I think its ok to talk about this but I can see where you are coming from. For me the more suicide is dragged into the light in this country the better.

spurious · 28-01-2012 07:37PM

Gi joe! wrote: »

Others, like Bill Zeller, who left a heart wrenching note to explain his motive, give us a look into the mind of someone capable of committing such a shocking act.

(Warning, not pleasant reading at all)
http://gizmodo.com/5726667/the-agonizing-last-words-of-bill-zeller

Sad stuff - all the moreso seeing that it was written over a long period. He had planned it for a long time.

Wibbs · 28-01-2012 07:43PM

Gi joe! wrote: »

That photo really is fascinating, how she managed to end up looking like that from that kind of fall. With my very morbid personality, I have seen a lot of aftermaths of suicide, and let me tell you, the results are far from looking this peaceful!

Looks like he car acted as a crumple zone, so the energy of impact though just enough to be instantly fatal* was absorbed and dissipated into and by the collapse of the car. Imagine the forces involved to make that woman shaped deep dent on the car. An old car too where the steels were generally a lot thicker than the average today. If she'd hit the path, the vast majority of the impact energy would have bounced back up through her. Instant goo.

*It might have been a close run thing. Tens of G's the other way and she may have even survived though horribly injured. There were two blokes washing windows on a platform right at the top of a new york(IIRC) skyscraper. The cables let go and it fell all the way down. One guy left the platform and died, the other hung on all the way down and survived. The platform got caught between two walls and folded around the guy absorbing the impact to a survivable level, though he was well fooked up.

44leto · 28-01-2012 07:47PM

Cork boy 55 wrote: »

disgusting thread IMO

Yeah it really should be locked, it is a well known that suicides in the general population go up when someone famous commits the act. In away it either encourages them or inspires some people to also commit suicide.

http://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=celebrity%20suicides%20clusters&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FCopycat_suicide&ei=hEIkT_btC5GyhAfF4fiABQ&usg=AFQjCNEAdLyHTYhnSyJWiHIrf1oOdAGy6A&cad=rja

Toby Take a Bow · 28-01-2012 07:50PM

Mercurius wrote: »

I don't see Nick Drake on the list.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRz3voOjxQo

I guess the black eyed dog called out his name once too often.

That really doesn't sound like Nick Drake.

One of the most disturbing footage I've seen of a suicide (not sure if it was a fake) was of that American politician killing himself in front of the cameras.

Mercurius · 28-01-2012 07:54PM

Toby Take a Bow wrote: »

That really doesn't sound like Nick Drake.

My bad. I didn't check it.

Deus Ex Machina · 28-01-2012 07:57PM

Toby Take a Bow wrote: »

Mercurius wrote: »

I don't see Nick Drake on the list.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRz3voOjxQo

I guess the black eyed dog called out his name once too often.

That really doesn't sound like Nick Drake.

One of the most disturbing footage I've seen of a suicide (not sure if it was a fake) was of that American politician killing himself in front of the cameras.

Bud Dwyer, it's as real as fuçk.

Famous suicides

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