Experts were right to question the effects of watching 13 Reasons Why. As haunting as it is to believe, suicide does have certain appealing qualities to some people. When music fans realized that Chester Bennington, 41, allegedly hung himself on Chris Cornell‘s birthday, July 20, many wondered if there was some freaky connection. Apparently the chances of the late Soundgarden singer influencing the Linkin Park frontman are extremely high, according to forensic suicidologist Dr. Ronald Williams Maris, PhD. “Suicide is contagious,” he tells HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY. “There are cluster suicides where other people in your immediate surroundings, your friends and family, could be affected.”
There’s suspicion that bad things happen in threes. Chris committed suicide in May and Chester allegedly in July…do we dare think about who’s next? “The younger you are, the more likely a friend or family member’s suicide will affect you,” Dr. Maris continues. “It gives you the idea that this is someway to resolve your problems. Both Chris and Chester’s lifestyles were pretty similar — a lot emotion, a lot of impulse, and a lot of drugs being on the road.” Our expert points out that this is a common trend among ebullient celebrities like Elvis Presley and John Belushi.
In interviews, Chester had always been open and honest about his troubled upbringing. He was bullied in school for being “skinny” and also confessed to sexual abused by an older male friend at the age of 7. The tattooed rocker says he didn’t seek help because he didn’t want anyone thinking he was lying or gay. It could have been these heartbreaking instances that led him down a dark path filled with drugs and alcohol. He also used music as a way to escape, and wound up releasing some of the greatest alternative rock tracks of all time. Rest In Peace, Chris and Chester.
HollywoodLifers, do you think Chris’ suicide influenced Chester’s death?