Halford spoke about the suicides of stars like Chris Cornell, Chester Bennington, and Keith Flint
Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford emphasized the importance of ending the stigma surrounding talking about suicide. He commented on the deaths of bandmates Chris Cornell, Chester Bennington , and Keith Flint , all of whom took their own lives after battles with substance abuse and depression.
He acknowledges that being a touring musician can increase the risk of mental illness. “We need to keep talking about this. When we lose our dear friends, we always hear the story, ‘Oh, they were fine. They had a great show and said, ‘See you tomorrow.’”
“It’s an incredibly difficult thing to try to focus on and understand what’s going on in someone’s head,” she continued. “The only thing you can do is love and support each other and notice if there are any signs. Usually there’s something somewhere that ends up going unnoticed,” she said.
“Rock and roll, creative people, it’s a terrible thing that seems to never end. What’s good is that, nowadays, people discuss it more openly. Before it was, ‘Oh, you’re depressed. Go for a walk, it’ll make you feel better.’ You can’t do that. You have to try to help that person.”
“I know there are places that can help you. It’s on the internet. Send a message to someone, keep in touch, take care of people. An email, anything. Be there for people and try to do everything you can.”
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