Thought On Recent Celebrity Suicides

By Damita JQ

I am stunned as I write this blog because two prominent people have taken their own lives.  I wanted to express some of the myriad of thoughts I have on the matter.  For the week of June 4th, 2018, both Fashion Designer Kate Spade and Chef, Author, and Travel Host Anthony Bourdain took their own lives.  God bless them and their families.  They could not find peace, despite their wealth, fame, and reported successes. 

Spade was worth $200 million at the time of her death, according to celebritynetworth.com.   Bourdain, was worth about $16 million.  Both Spade and Bourdain had significant others, children, and financial means.   Avicii (born Tim Bergling), was a 28-year-old Swedish, Electronic Music Disc Jockey, who traveled the world, and was worth millions.  Avicii also took his own life in 2018 as well.  In 2014, Comedian Robin Williams committed suicide. 

Suicide is a serious and heartbreaking topic.  I wish that Spade, Bourdain, and anyone else with dark thoughts who took their own lives had reached out to good friends and to mental health practitioners.  I wondered what made these people so miserable – was it chemical or mental health issues or just life’s circumstances?

I remember having conversations with people over the years, who claimed that money would bring them happiness and peace.  What the past few years have shown some of us with our theories on how happy the rich and famous people must be, are that generalizations on this matter are emphatically wrong.  Some exceptionally successful, wealthy people are also depressed, anxious, and dissatisfied.  Money does not provide peace or happiness, just as a lack of money does not mean people have no appreciation of life.

I grew up in a faith-based home without a lot of means, and I looked at the proverbial cup (of life) as always being half-full, no matter what I was dealing with at the time.  I always had the perspective that things could get better.  Even when down times came in my life, I never completely lost hope. Life is a gift.  We are born kicking and screaming to take that first breath, and the battle to survive continues.  Some people literally fight to stay alive.  Many in my family fought through devastating illnesses like cancer to survive.  Some succeeded, and others did not. 

I have seen miserable people of all types.  I have also seen people making minimum wage, who work backbreaking jobs, who still talk of having joy in their lives.  I recall a male celebrity giving an interview several years ago, saying he was lonely and had no real friends that he could call up at 3:00 a.m. for help.  I have seen some people with loving families, money, who still express unhappiness at each stressor.  

The answer to unhappiness is not avoidance, drugs, alcoholism, or suicide.  Seek out help from professionals.  Keep a truth-seeker around you who can provide you solace and comfort.  Put some time in your life each week to exercise your mind or your body or give yourself a healthy treat of some type.  And know and believe that any bad period is temporary.  I like the phrase, “and this too shall pass.”

Every human being experiences sadness and depression.  It’s all right to feel sadness or loss for a limited time, but at some point, you must move on.  It’s vital to not surrender your existence to those dark feelings.  If you start to feel lost or depressed over time, seek help.

For more help on suicides, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides the National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-SUICIDE or 1-800-273-8255 (TALK).