can you name a jazz musician that committed suicide ?

[danny boy]

sorry if this sounds a bit morbid, but i'm currently working on a script which contains a scene where a character commits suicide.

in the scene where he contemplates this he is listening to music, i thought it might be quite good to put a sly musical reference in, eg listening to a musician that commited suicide.

are there any relatively well know jazz musicians that did this ?

[Deadlift]

I believe Sonny Criss ended his life after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.

[chuckyd4]

Frank Rosolino? Or was that murder? I don't remember right now...

[Steve Reynolds]

I think Rosolino killed some member(s) of his family and then himself

someone please correct me if I'm wrong

[Jeff Albert]

Rosolino shot his sons then himself. One son lived but was blinded. There is along personal account of it by Gene Lees on this page.

[Chaz Longue]

Susanna McCorkle defenestrated herself a few years ago. Being a singer, she offers a benefit to your script: you'd be able to work a song title or lyric into the script for extra poignance.

Let us know who you use...

db

[LeMo]

French bass player Beb Guérin, partner of François Tusques, Michel Portal, Pierre Favre, Martial Solal and from lot american musicians (Shepp, Burrel amongs many others) who came to live in Paris and recorded for Byg, America, etc... in the sixties/seventies. A great bass player (Check 'Michel Portal Unit at Châteauvallon': "No, no but maybe" on Universal)

[Uli]

Albert Ayler, maybe?

[Captain Hate]

Chet Baker, maybe.

[jazzy mary]

Albert Ayler, maybe?

I don't think so.

[Jiveman]

Trumpeter Bud Brisbois.

[Pete C]

I believe drummer Stu Martin was a suicide.

Hey--jazz suicides could have been a Ken Burns roll call.

[groover]

Bix Beiderbecke, if you count drinking yourself to death.

[Nate Dorward]

Susanna McCorkle defenestrated herself a few years ago. Being a singer, she offers a benefit to your script: you'd be able to work a song title or lyric into the script for extra poignance.

She actually once recorded a (black-humourous) song called "I Think I Will Not Kill Myself Today".

(I think I must have the title wrong to judge by a websearch but I know I'm right, as Ted O'Reilly played it on the radio after the news of her death. I know that sounds tasteless but you'd have to have heard Ted's sensitive introduction & the lyrics & delivery of the actual song to understand why it was actually a very appropriate choice.)

[José Domingos Raffaelli]

saxist Herbie Fields
drummer Ben Pollack
trumpeter Bobby Nichols
singer Ann Richards (former Stan Kenton wife)
saxist Ronnie Scott

[Surfer]

Always wondered about Ayler. You dont believe that "Tied to a Jukebox" stuff, do you?

I thought that was an urban legend.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

http://elvispelvis.com/suicide.htm

[Sand]

A long one: BE: Theme from M*A*S*H (Suicide Is Painless)

I that category there are many.

While some dramatic suicides may have been accidents. Who knows?

[Surfer]

http://www.geocities.com/jeff_l_schwartz/chpt6.html Dont know how reliable this is. I always thought the consensus was that he committed suicide.



The cause of Ayler's death remained a mystery until 1983, when Mary Parks, tired of the rumors, shared her knowledge with English discographer Mike Hames.


Mike Hames: The strains of surviving as a musician in New York seriously affected the mind of Albert's brother, Donald. Their mother blamed Albert for introducing Donald to the musician's life. She and Donald continuously pressed Albert to look after Donald. Albert helped in several ways, but he did not want Donald to live with him or play with him. After two years of aggravation from his brother and demands and threats from his mother Albert could no longer cope. Although Donald was finally receiving hospital treatment after a nervous breakdown, Albert could not be convinced by Mary that the situation would end.

Albert told Mary that his blood had to be shed to save his mother and brother. He even told her how he wanted the rights to his music to be divided after his death. She rang his father but he didn't seem to believe it. Mary's sister then tried to dissuade Albert from taking his life and he promised to think it over (Hames 27).


On the evening of November 5, Albert again told Mary, "My blood has got to be shed to save my mother and my brother." After an argument, he smashed one of his saxophones over their television and stormed out of the house. Mary called the police to report Albert missing. Albert took the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and jumped off as the boat neared Liberty Island (Hames 27).

[Darryl G. Thomas]

Does Phylis Hyman count as a jazz singer?

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Does Phylis Hyman count as a jazz singer?

I dunno. This is from that site that I posted above.........

Phyllis Hyman: Age 45
Singer
(b: July 6, 1941 in Philadelphia, PA, d:June 30, 1995 in New York, NY)
Phyllis Hyman began her career as a silky-voiced, jazz-influenced singer, and gradually moved into slick, heavily produced Urban Contemporary ballads and light dance numbers. Norman Connors made her his featured vocalist in the mid-'70s, and she was highlighted on a cover of The Stylistics' "Betcha By Golly Wow," which appeared on Connors' You Are My Starship LP. Hyman also sang with Pharaoh Sanders and the Fatback Band while cutting two singles as a lead artist. Hyman got her lone Top 10 hit in 1981 with "Can't We Fall In Love Again," but her albums did consistently well through the '80s. She also sang on fusion and light jazz dates by Joe Sample, Ronnie Foster, and Grover Washington, Jr., a more conven-tional jazz session for McCoy Tyner, and a pop date with The Four Tops. Tragically, Hyman took her own life on June 30, 1995; Forever with You was issued posthumously. -- Ron Wynn, All-Music Guide ...Phyllis was diagnosed as being "bi-polar", a medical term for someone who suffers from the dis-ease of manic-depression. As she got older, her dis-ease became more and more difficult for her to manage. She elected not to use pharmaceutical medication. She elected to self medicate. Her self medication distorted her dis-ease more and more, until she felt helpless about ever being able to recover from it.~ PH WWW.Pages

[Darryl G. Thomas]

I saw Phyllis at Blues Alley in DC back in the late '80s. They have a dish named after her there. She looks at some dude eating the dish and says, "I see you're eating Phyillis Hyman" reaches over and grabs a bite.

I never understood that suicide, I didn't know she was bi-polar. I just thought she was a stunning woman at the top of her game.

A shame.

[Gary Sisco]

Every junkie who ever put a spike in his arm knew it could be the last time, and for many it was.

[hglord]

She actually once recorded a (black-humourous) song called "I Think I Will Not Kill Myself Today".

(I think I must have the title wrong to judge by a websearch but I know I'm right, as Ted O'Reilly played it on the radio after the news of her death. I know that sounds tasteless but you'd have to have heard Ted's sensitive introduction & the lyrics & delivery of the actual song to understand why it was actually a very appropriate choice.)

The song is "I Don't Think I'll End it All Today." It was written by Yip Harburg and Harold Arlen and it's actually a song about why life, in spite of all its problems, is really pretty good. Susannah performs it on From Broadway to Bebop, Concord Jazz CCD-4615.

Great album.

She was a fantastic singer. She was also bi-polar.

Harvey

[bostontricky]

The song is "I Don't Think I'll End it All Today." It was written by Yip Harburg and Harold Arlen and it's actually a song about why life, in spite of all its problems, is really pretty good.

Partial lyrics: (Danny - I think you've got your song)

When I see the world and its wonders, what is there to say?
I don't think, oh, no, I don't think I'll end it all today.
Fish in sea and sun in the heavens, sailboat in the bay,
I don't think, oh, no, I don't think I'll end it all today.

So many sweet things still on my list,
So many sweet lips still to be kissed,
So many sweet dreams still to unfold,
So many sweet lies still to be told.

When I see the world and its wonders, what is there to say?
There's no time for the reaper to fall,
So I don't think I'll end it all today.

Away with the river, away with the razor,
Away with the pearly gates,
Away with barbituates, away with the seconal,
The fall from the building tall,
No, I don't think I'll end it all
Today.

Don't think I'll drown myself, don't think I'll cut my throat,
don't think I'll commit hari-kari, don't think I'll jump off the ferry,
No, I don't think I'll end it all
today.

[the_Abbot]

Weldon Irvine commited suicide April 9, 2002

[crawjo]

J.J. Johnson is the most famous one that comes to mind for me. That one really tears me up now, since I've grown to love his music so much the last few years.

[Tom K]

Ake Persson I believe. And then, certainly, Swiss Urs Blöchlinger.

[Lenny D.Guitarist]

Sonny Criss. Graham Bond.

The two guitarists who were often referred to,in different time periods, as "the greatest unknown guitarists in the world", Roy Buchanan and Danny Gatton.

[Don Brown]

Freddy Guy, long-time Ellington guitarist.