She was 36, a movie star, and romantically linked with such Hollywood legends as Charlie Chaplin, Gary Cooper, and Johnny Weissmuller... so why did she kill herself?
July 18 would have been the 100th birthday of
actress Lupe Velez
-- known in the less-politically-correct days of the 1940s as "The Mexican Spitfire" -- had she not, in 1944, for reasons known
ultimately to herself, committed suicide.
While the exact circumstances of her death are cloudy -- thanks to Tinseltown
sleazemeister Kenneth Anger,
the story of her allegedly drowning in her toilet is legendary -- her suicide
was only one in a long line of celebrities
who have died
by their own hands, whether through lack of success
or too much pain.
Of course, not every attempt succeeds: The list of celebrities who tried to
end it all -- including journalist Mike Wallace,
baseball superstar Ken Griffey, Jr., Olympic diver Greg Louganis,
opera diva Maria Callas,
actress Elizabeth Taylor, and singers Sammy Davis, Jr., Johnny Cash, and Donna Summer,
even actor Clark Gable
-- is almost as long as the list of those who have succeeded. Writer Dorothy Parker
attempted to kill herself so many times that her best friend, humorist Robert Benchley
told her, "Dottie, if you keep this up, you're going to ruin your
health."
Not every "suicide" has been self-inflicted. The deaths of Marilyn Monroe
and George Reeves
have provided conspiracy buffs with years of controversy over whether they
were murdered on not. And not every celebrity who ended their own life
suffered from mental anguish. Suave and sophisticated character actor George Sanders
was merely "bored."
In spite of the snark, the pain of those left behind is as real as that of
those who leave, and we can only hope that, wherever she is, Lupe Velez has
found peace and happiness.
To anyone struggling and needing help, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available with free and confidential help, 24/7: 1-800-273-8255
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