Many rock stars have everything they want within their reach, but it never guarantees mental well-being. So, despite their vast fame, many music icons lost their lives after committing suicide. Like Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell, and Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington, who had battled with issues like depression, PTSD, and anxiety. These mental health problems sadly contributed to their consumption of substances, so some also developed an addiction and died of an overdose, like Jim Morrison.
Bradley Edward Delp was the original lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of Boston. He joined the band in 1970 and played and sang on their first three albums. Delp rose to prominence for his unique and soulful singing and the vocal range of his ‘golden’ voice. Singing wasn’t his only talent; Brad Delp was a multi-instrumentalist who played guitar, harmonica, and keyboards. Sadly, the music scene lost such a talented musician on March 9, 2007, as Delp lost his battle against his mental health issues.
Details About Brad Delp’s Musical Career
Boston’s Brad Delp was born on June 12, 1951, to parents who were French-Canadian immigrants. When Delp was 18, his friend and guitarist Barry Goudreau introduced him to Tom Scholz. Scholz was in search of a singer to complete recording his demos. Together, the three formed the band Mother’s Milk and started jamming. When Epic Records signed them after their demo, they renamed the band Boston.
In August 1976, Boston released their self-titled debut. Delp contributed to all of this album’s lead and backing harmony vocals, co-wrote ‘Smokin’ with Scholz, and wrote the closing track ‘Let Me Take You Home Tonight.’ The album turned out to be a huge success and spawned the rock classics like ‘Peace Of Mind’ and ‘More Than A Feeling.’ In the following album ‘Don’t Look Back,’ Delp collaborated with Scholz again on the song ‘Party.’
After these albums, Brad Delp sang vocals on Barry Goudreau’s 1980 solo album. Boston then didn’t produce any new albums due to legal battles with their record company until 1986’s ‘Third Stage.’ Apart from his work with Boston, Delp also contributed to other artists and worked on several musical projects, like the Beatles tribute band Beatlejuice. However, it turns out that he was suffering from depression and feeling isolated even though he was a renowned artist.
The Tragic Ending Of Brad Delp
Unfortunately, on March 9, 2007, Brad Delp committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning in his home. It was discovered after his passing that he had left various notes scattered in his home and car. The musician connected a dryer vent tube to the exhaust pipe of his car, placed two charcoal grills in the bathtub, and let them burn to fill the room with smoke. When the police discovered his body on the bathroom floor, Delp had a suicide note paperclipped to the neck of his t-shirt, which read: “Mr. Brad Delp. ‘J’ai une âme solitaire.’ I am a lonely soul.”
The musician also left four envelopes addressed to his children, ex-wife Micki, fiancée, and a couple not named by the media. At the time of his death, Delp was only 55 years old. His passing was ruled a suicide, but there was no clear-cut explanation for why he had decided to end his life. While some sources argued Delp was upset due to Boston’s disbandment and the tension between him and Scholz, court documents argued he had personal problems.
Delp’s fiancée’s sister Meg Sullivan claimed she had confronted the musician after discovering that he had planted a hidden camera in her room. She stated that this might’ve been related to Delp’s suicide, as it happened a few days before. On the other hand, Delp’s fiancée Pamela found a note near the musician’s body. “I have had bouts of depression and thoughts of suicide since I was a teenager,” wrote Delp, touching upon his battle with depression. “Pamela was my ‘ray of sunshine,’ but sometimes even a ray of sunshine is no substitute for a good psychiatrist.”
On the door leading to his home, Delp wrote another note, as reported by Billboard. “To whoever finds this, I have hopefully committed suicide. Plan B was to asphyxiate myself in my car,” wrote the musician, revealing he had already planned his death. “I take complete and sole responsibility for my present situation. I have lost my desire to live,” he said in another note, reflecting on his battle against depression. So, although Brad Delp was a talented and successful artist, he lost his struggle with his mental health issues and left many heartbreaking notes to be remembered as his very last words.
