The mysterious disappearance of the Bloody Superstar — Richard Edwards
Frontman, guitarist and ideologue of the Manic Street Preachers band
When he disappeared: February 1, 1995
Status: not found
Richie James, aka Richard James Edwards, was the main lyricist of the Manic Street Preachers, their ideologue, image maker and rhythm guitarist. His role in the recording of the band’s first three records was so great that he was considered something of a bandleader among fans. Alas, addiction to alcohol, coupled with anorexia and mental depression, led the guitarist to paranoia: he began to imagine himself as the driver of the band, then other characters, and at concerts he began to shred his own body with a knife.
In August 1994, Richie went to a neurosis clinic, from where he was soon transferred to a psychiatric hospital: at the end of September, after completing all twelve stages of the course of treatment, he was discharged, but on a European tour he began to imagine himself a photojournalist hero from the Apocalypse of Our Days and appeared everywhere with a camera.
In Amsterdam, he cut himself badly again, and on December 14 in Hamburg, immediately after the end of the tour, Nicky Wire found Richie on the street, when he was covered in blood, banging his head against the wall. On January 31, 1995, guitarist James Bradfield and Richie settled into adjacent rooms of the London Embassy, intending to fly to the States the next day. The next morning, James knocked on Richie’s room and it was empty.
The escape
As it turned out, after leaving London, James went to his apartment in Cardiff, where he left his passport and medicines. Since then, his movements can only be judged by unconfirmed evidence.
He was seen at the passport office of the city of Newport; a fan who met him at the bus stop, as well as a taxi driver, communicated with him. Richie’s car was found on February 14 at a service station, and three days later the car was found abandoned.
The car’s battery was completely dead, and the police, who opened the car, found evidence in the car that it was inhabited. There were no hints of where Edwards could be found in the car. The only clue was the fact that there was a bridge over the River Severn nearby, which had become a popular suicide spot. At the same time, many of those who knew the musician well claim that despite all his destructive and depressive tendencies, he would never have committed suicide.
During the year of his disappearance, Edwards said, “ Suicide, I don’t even have a thought like that. And there never was, in the sense of trying. Because I’m stronger. I may be a weak person, but I can bear the pain.”
Disappearance
Since then, the press has periodically received evidence that the lost musician was seen either at a market in Goa, somewhere in the Canary Islands, or at some other geographical point, but none of these testimonies has been confirmed. The investigation, which lasted for several years, was repeatedly criticized. Seven years later, Richie was pronounced dead.
However, fans do not exclude the possibility that Edwards completely imagined himself to be someone, and lives under this guise. “My biggest nightmare is to open the door, and Richie is standing on the threshold: “Hello, I’m back!” It’s really scary!” said Bradfield, who became the leader of the group after Richie’s disappearance, which has not been disclosed so far.
