Boston lead singer Brad Delp died by suicide at his home in Atkinson, New Hampshire, in March 2007. The incident revealed a side of the singer’s life that few fans knew — a great struggle with mental health issues.
The Singer’s Suicide And Last Confession
Delp’s fiancée, Pamela Sullivan, called the police after finding his car in the garage with a dryer vent hose attached to its exhaust pipe, according to Billboard. A note taped to the garage door made his intentions clear: “To whoever finds this, I have hopefully committed suicide. Plan B was to asphyxiate myself in my car.”
Inside the house, the police found additional notes. One warned of carbon monoxide in the home. In the master bathroom, officers discovered Delp’s body. He had sealed the room with tape and lit two charcoal grills to create carbon monoxide fumes. A note attached to his shirt read, “Mr. Brad Delp. J’ai une âme solitaire. I am a lonely soul.”
The New Hampshire medical examiner’s office confirmed carbon monoxide poisoning as the cause of death. Four sealed letters addressed to Delp’s children, Sullivan, and others were found in his office, though their contents remain private.
Long-time Struggle With Depression
While Brad Delp’s music career brought him fame, he quietly struggled with personal issues. Sullivan later told the police that Delp had been “depressed for some time” and often felt “bad about himself,” Guitar World reported in April 2007.
Delp’s death led to speculation about what drove him to take his own life. Some reports blamed conflicts within Boston, but Tom Scholz denied these claims, and lawsuits followed. Courts later dismissed the defamation cases, ruling that the statements were opinions (per Boston Globe).
Said opinions resulted from reported tension between Delp and Scholz that caused the vocalist to leave the band in the early 1990s to focus on side projects, including the Beatles tribute band ‘Beatlejuice’ and the group RTZ, before they reunited for tours and more records.
Delp’s Legacy In Boston
Despite his struggles, Brad Delp remained a central figure in Boston. As ILoveClassicRock.com puts it, his ‘Golden Voice’ was ‘flawless’ and ‘effortless.’ The band’s debut album, ‘Boston,’ sold over 17 million copies, making it one of the best-selling debut records in U.S. history. Boston went on to release ‘Don’t Look Back’ (1978) and ‘Third Stage’ (1986), and these two continued to top the charts.
In August 2007, friends, family, and former bandmates honored Delp at a tribute concert titled ‘Come Together: A Tribute to Brad Delp.‘ Barry Goudreau, a former bandmate, released ‘Rockin’ Away‘ a few months after Delp’s death. The song featured the late musician’s vocals and reflected on his career.
