Suicide Notes
Suicide is an act of taking ones own life, a path chosen by those who suffer from serious mental despair. Nothing can justify this act, no matter how big the problem or cause of depression may be. Some famous people took their lives by committing suicide and left the world mourning. Those who ruled the world and the hearts of people were themselves ruled by their own depression and despair.
10. James Whale – Film Director (July 22, 1893 – May 29, 1957)
James Whale, Film Director
Films like Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, Bride of Frankenstein and The Old Dark House were directed by James Whale among many others. He directed a dozen of films for Universal Studios also. After reaching at the height of his filming career, he had a number of failures and his filming career was over by 1941. In the 1998 film Gods and Monsters, the role of James Whale was played by Sir Ian McKellan. In 1956 he suffered from stroke and committed suicide on the 29th of May 1957, by drinking alcohol, throwing himself into his swimming pool, and striking his head at the bottom. His suicide note says:
‘The future is just old age and illness and pain… I must have peace and this is the only way.
9. Nicolas-Sebastien Chamfort – French Writer (6 April 1741 – 13 April 1794)
Nicholas Chamfort, Writer
This famous french writer was best known for his witty epigrams. He feared imprisonment due to his radical ideas and attempted suicide after locking himself in his own office in 1973. He made many attempts on that day and again on 13th April 1794 when he finally dies. He made savage attempts to kill himself and wrote in his own blood the following words:
I, Sebastien-Roch Nicolas de Chamfort, hereby declare my wish to die a free man rather than to continue to live as a slave in a prison.
His last words were:
And so I leave this world, where the heart must either break or turn to lead.
8. Wendy O. Williams – Punk Rock Singer (May 28, 1949 – April 6, 1998)
She was the famous lead singer of the American punk rock band the Plasmatics. She is also known for her solo performances. Her choice of music and stage and theatrical performances reputed her as the most controversial and radical female singer of her day. Williams was nominated in 1985 for a Grammy in the Best Female Rock Vocal Performance category during the height of her career.
She made multiple suicide attempts. In her first attempt in 1993 she stabbed herself in the chest with a knife. The knife lodged in her sternum and she called for help. Her second attempt was in 1997 with an overdose of ephedrine. Williams died at age 48 on April 6, 1998, when she shot herself in a deserted wooded area near her home. She left a note saying:
I don’t believe that people should take their own lives without deep and thoughtful reflection over a considerable period of time.
7. George Eastman – Inventor (July 12, 1854 – March 14, 1932)
George Eastman, Inventor
George Eastman invented the 35mm film and founded the Eastman Kodak Company. He brought photography to the mainstream. His invention of the roll film led to the invention of motion picture film in 1888 by the world’s first filmmaker Louis Le Prince. He had a degenerative disorder, which affected his spine and his walking. Extreme pain made him increasingly depressed. On March 14th, 1932, Eastman committed suicide. He left a short note that simply read:
To my friends: My work is done. Why wait?
6. Christine Chubbuck – Newscaster (August 24, 1944 – July 15, 1974)
Christine Chubbuck, News Reporter
She was an American television newscaster who committed suicide by shooting herself during a live transmission. She was suffering from severe depression and had made earlier suicidal attempts also. In 1970 she attempted to overdose on medication. She had also been seeing a psychiatrist before her death. Later investigations showed that she had decided to commit suicide weeks before the successful attempt.
Three weeks before her suicide she had asked for the station director’s permission to do a piece of news on suicide. To gather information on this news she visited the local sheriff’s department to discuss most successful methods of suicide. No one knew that she had been doing the survey for a news on her very own self. A week before her suicide she told Rob Smith, the night news editor, that she had bought a gun and joked about killing herself on air. Everyone took this as a joke.
On July 12, 1974, she had an argument with news director on one of her stories and was asked to concentrate on “blood and guts.” She made a reference to this in her suicide note also. On the morning of July 15, 1974, Chubbuck shot herself in her live morning talk show Suncoast Digest. Her last words were:
And now, in keeping with Channel 40′s policy of always bringing you the latest in blood and guts, in living color, you’re about to see another first – an attempted suicide.
5. Clara Blandick – American Actress (June 4, 1880 – April 15, 1962)
Clara Blandick, Actress
She was a famous film actress who committed suicide at the age of 82. She was not having a good health and failed to endure the pain. In her last days she remained depressed and dependent. Clara in her life made many brilliant appearances on the screen. Her role in the movie Wizard of Oz gave her the identity of Auntie Em. In 1950′s she fell sick. She had arthritis and her vision almost ended. On April 15th, 1962 she committed suicide by overdosing herself with sleeping pills. She left the following note which expressed her agony and inability to endure the pain:
I am now about to make the great adventure. I cannot endure this agonizing pain any longer. It is all over my body. Neither can I face the impending blindness. I pray the Lord my soul to take. Amen.
4. George Sanders – Actor (1906 – April 25, 1972)
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