Monday, May 22, 2017

Music Monday - Middle Aged Suicide

When my husband, a  Soundgarden and Audioslave fan, heard the news of rocker Chris Cornell's death, he couldn't believe it.

Soundgarden, the band Chris Cornell was the lead vocalist for at the time of his death, was participating in a Rock on the Range tour.  He had finished a live concert in Detroit, and must have been feeling the love of his fans.  Other concerts were on his schedule.
Cornell's last song is above (it's about 13 minutes long) if you care to see him hours before his death.

Why did he take his life?  Why? Why? Why?  How many times have we asked ourselves that in recent years?  His family says the suicide wasn't intentional; it may have been caused by a side effect of prescription medication.  But Cornell suffered from depression from a lot of his life, and life has not been easy for him (or anyone else who suffers from this variety of illness).

Meantime, I found this sobering statistic:  middle aged men between 45 and 65 (Cornell was 52) have the highest rate of suicide of any age group.  These men suffer in silence.  They don't reach out for help.  They must be reached in non-traditional ways.

As anyone who has had a suicide in their family knows, the impact is huge.  This pain is public, but so many go through this pain privately.

Will Cornell's death change the suicide statistics? Will we pay more attention to the issue? That remains to be seen.

I've had an earworm with  the hit song "Black Hole Sun" for the last couple of days.  So, instead of that, I'm featuring three other songs from Soundgarden, hoping they will chase the earworm away.

"Fell on Black Days" is a product of Cornell's struggles with depression.

Spoonman is a song I enjoy - in some ways it reminds me of Led Zepplin.

I will end with another song called Outshined, a personal favorite.

Another great talent gone too young.  I can't say much more.

17 comments:

  1. How sad. Suicide is tragic, and so final. It leaves those who knew the person in life with a sense of guilt. "Could I have prevented this?" Today, I'm reminded It's a Wonderful World!

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    1. It was sad, it is sad, and I hope we find out more details. There's been suicide on my husband's side of his family and I've had a glimpse into how devastating it can be.

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  2. When I woke up and heard this late-breaking news on Detroit radio, I was like 'who'? Still have no idea who the singer is, but suicide and even the thought of suicide is very hard on the family. All of my children had friends commit suicide in high school or shortly thereafter. And a neighbor's son committed suicide in college. It happens too often.

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  3. I never was a fan, but I lament anyone who felt the urge to ends one's life. So sad.

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  4. Depression untreated is not a good thing. Unfortunately one of the side effects of drugs for depression is erectile dysfunction which for men of a certain age can be devastating so they go off their meds. Often they just quit which is also not a good way to stop taking these medications. I am not saying this the case here but the downward spiral can be lethal.

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    1. You make some excellent points. I could so easily see why a man would abandon a drug if it gave him that side effect. You don't seem to read too much discussion of that side effect, either.

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  5. I honestly had not heard most of his songs... the suicide news and people's reactions got me to listen to his music. It is sad seeing another preventable suicide :(

    Can you really be pain-free and play mobile games while undergoing surgery? Why yes.

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    1. Haralee's comment above is interesting, also (mentioning this to you as you are a medical doctor).

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  6. It is so sad to see one with so much talent who meant so much to so many take his own life. Sad and inexplicable. It just makes me grateful for the life I have.

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  7. My son was 46... I think they have dealt with it as long as they could, until they couldn't anymore...

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    1. My husband's cousin took his life several years ago. This man had struggled for many years, but it seemed to many that he had finally gotten his life together. I am sorry that your son also had to go through these years of pain...if only medical science had the answer. Maybe one day they will, but, in the meantime, such a world of suffering.

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  8. I don't know this artist's work, but it's tragic to think someone --anyone -- was in so much pain he had to end his life. And the statistic you cited is so damn maddening--that men of a certain age are so prone to suicide because they feel so isolated and unable to ask for help.

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  9. I was shocked to hear of his death. A lot of their songs were the soundtrack of my 20s.

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  10. The death of Chris Cornell is also a reminder that those who appear to 'have it all' don't, in fact. It's a terrible loss for his family and his fans.

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