Jill Janus tragically died at the age of 43 on Aug. 14, and the world of music is shaken to its core following her passing. Here’s what we know about her death so far.
1. She allegedly took her own life. Huntress has released the following statement following her death: “It is with crushed hearts that we announce that Jill Janus—frontwoman for the California heavy metal band Huntress—passed away on Tuesday, August 14. A long-time sufferer of mental illness, she took her own life outside of Portland, Oregon. Janus spoke publicly about these challenges in hopes of guiding others to address and overcome their mental illness.”
2. She was a music legend. She was the frontwoman of Huntress since the band was created in 2009 and in those nine years, she went on to release three studio albums. In addition to Huntress, she lent her voice as lead vocals to two other bands — the Starbreakers and Chelsea Girls.
3. She had previously opened up about her mental issues and her past struggles with suicidal thoughts in an interview with Revolver Magazine. “I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder first, when I was 20. I started to show signs of it when I was 13, though, and I struggled with it through high school,” she said. “But it started to get dangerous in my early teens. … I was suicidal constantly. I was very suicidal early on in my life. Then in my mid-twenties, it shifted to full-blown mania, where I can’t really remember much of my twenties.”
4. In addition to creating so much music throughout her career, she was also involved in many side projects. “Beyond her accomplishments in the music world and her advocacy for mental health issues, she was a beautiful person, passionate about her family, animal rescue, and the world of natural medicine,” the band went on to say in their statement.
5. She was in the middle of composing a rock opera. Along with Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s Angus Clark, the two were working on a piece called Victory: The Rock Opera.