Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Even A Listers Can Get the Blues

It's like that video "Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M. Everyone gets depressed- sometimes. Everybody cries. And even those people who the rest of us would consider to be celebrities, A list, what ever- have dealt with the proverbial "Black Dog" and

DID NOT SUCCUMB.


Here is a list of those who tried, and gratefully, did not go into that good night. (From Mental Floss magazine)


Halle Berry – admitted to Parade magazine that, distraught over her failed marriage to baseball star David Justice, she tried to end her life by carbon monoxide poisoning.

Greg Louganis – depressed, abused and confused, Greg attempted suicide three times (including once by an aspirin-and-Ex Lax combo) after a knee injury at age 12 ruined his dream of becoming an Olympic gymnast. Luckily, he recovered, and made it to the Games as a diver

James Stockdale – H. Ross Perot’s former running mate attempted suicide while a POW at Hoa Lo Prison in Vietnam in 1969 to avoid torture.

Donna Summer – tried to leap from an 11-story window at a New York hotel at the peak of her career in 1976, but was discovered by a housekeeper.

Drew Carey – after a rough childhood that included sexual molestation by an unknown party and his father’s death, the lovable Price is Right host attempted suicide twice in his teen years.

Mike Wallace – in a 2006 retrospective honoring his retirement as a 60 Minutes correspondent, Wallace revealed a suicide attempt twenty years prior.

Paul Robeson – the “Ol’ Man River” vocalist tried to off himself by slashing his wrists in a Moscow hotel room in 1961, although his son (Paul Jr.) claims the event was caused by a CIA/FBI conspiracy that drugged him with LSD.

Elizabeth Taylor – hoped to end her life in February 1962 with an overdose of Seconal, although she said she did so only because she “needed to get away.

”Fred “Rerun” Berry – the What’s Happening!! star said he tried to kill himself three times prior to finding religion in 1984.

Robert Young – yes, even the Father Knows Best father fell victim to depression later in life, culminating in a 1991 attempt on his own life.

More of the article is here.

4 comments:

Jamie said...

Always good to know we're not alone in this :-)

Ana said...

There are many...
Only celebrities are at the list. Politicians, physicians everybody.
What amazes me is the search for immortality.
Can you imagine it?
It would be a curse to me.
LOL

upside down rain said...

this is one of those articles that you can actually say you know how it feels.

thanks for this.

Bluebirdy said...

They say the more intelligent a person is, the more depression they get. we must be freakin; geniuses! (Or is the plural for that GENIAI?) lol. I believe Robert Young did finally kill himself. He found out he had incurable cancer and was not going to suffer through it, but decided to die before people suffered by watching him die a slow painful death. (Although I don't think his family felt much better about this method, either.) Ahhh depression. the taboo subject, hidden by all, for fear they will lose their job, spouse, status, or whatever. Only lately has it become politically correct to speak about it publically.
Blessings to all.

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