Suicide of Brad Delp an Occasion for Sober Reflection on Early Rock Star Deaths

I don't know about you, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about Boston's Brad Delp over the past week and the many reasons - senseless, mysterious and justified - why such a talented, beloved musician and human being might have decided he couldn't go on living. I haven't come to any brilliant conclusions, but I have mused extensively about the many artists the music world has lost far too soon and in tragic ways during the rock era. The list is dauntingly extensive, but I made an attempt anyway to chronicle the ones that, to me at least, seem the most heartbreaking and devastating. I dredge up such painful memories not out of a sensationalistic appetite but out of extreme reverence for all the wonderful musicians no longer with us. I hope they all get a chance to gather together from time to time for some kick-ass, otherworldly jam sessions.

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