What happens when an idol commits suicide?

It is 2017 and depression still is a taboo. Not only a taboo but for many, it is just BS of privileged spoiled people who have had everything and is too lazy to do anything but to complain about their great lives. Well, let me tell you something. Depression is REAL! And it is killing people all the time. It is killing people like you and me and it is also taking the lives of our idols. Those that we see as having a so called perfect life.
While part of me is still struggling to believe that one of the greatest voices of rock opted for taking his own life, I am not at all surprised by his decision. You don’t have to be a Linkin Park fan to realize that those songs were a way of Chester being on a constant look for a place where he could belong. Though he chose to make art out of his pain, as “romanticized” as it could sound, his struggle was real and it was present in about almost all the band’s song.
Linkin Park was present in my adolescence. For me, those lyrics spoke to my heart and listening to them made me feel like I had someone to talk to even though I didn’t. It felt like someone could be living my life and feeling the same way I’ve felt so many times. And I am not the only one who can relate.
There are many reasons why a song, a band, an artist in general, becomes popular. Writing and singing songs that relate to ordinary people’s lives are some of them. And Chester was exceptionally good at this. A gift that gave voice to the struggle of some many people from different generations and, in my opinion, kept him alive for as long as he could handle his demons.
So what happens when an idol commits suicide? Honestly, it seems like nothing really happens. Chester wasn’t the first and most likely won’t be the last to lose his life to a mental health condition that people insist in not talking about and taking it for granted. But I wish this could be a sign, just like Linkin Park’s songs have always been. A sign that our society is sick pushing people to fit into norms that make them believe that they do not belong, that they are not enough, and that their lives are worthless.
When an idol takes his own life I wish we could look around and pay attention to the signs. Because they exist, just like depression. And it’s everywhere. Different from social norms that seem to apply to some specific people (depending on the context), depression does not look at people’s race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, political view or any other way of labeling the uniqueness of being human.
So please, if you feel like the world is falling apart, I PROMISE, it will pass. Speak it out. Ask for help. Let’s face whatever darkness that is shadowing your beauty, together. You are not alone and your life is worth it.
*US hotlines:
- National Hopeline Network: 1–800-SUICIDE (784–2433)
- 1–800–273-TALK (8255)
* Brazilian hotlines:
http://www.suicide.org/hotlines/international/brazil-suicide-hotlines.html
