Boston singer Brad Delp committed suicide

The death of Boston singer Brad Delp last week was a suicide. Delp's family released a statement yesterday (Wednesday, March 14th) which read: "On Friday, March 9th, in his home, Bradley Delp took his life. He was a man who gave all he had to give to everyone around him, whether family, friends, fans, or strangers. He gave as long as he could, as best he could, and he was very tired. We take comfort in knowing that he is now, at last, at peace.

"His children Jennifer and John-Michael Delp, their mother Micki Delp, and his fiancee Pamela Sullivan are very grateful for all of the sympathy we've received, and we ask that you respect Brad's and our privacy in this difficult time."

A report issued by the police in Delp's town of Atkinson, New Hampshire, says they were called to investigate "an issue dealing with carbon monoxide, and a tube hooked to an exhaust." Officers met Sullivan at the house and after a search, the found Delp on the floor of the bathroom in his master bedroom. According to the report, "The 55-year-old Bradley Delp committed suicide and the cause of death was carbon monoxide. The New Hampshire Medical Offices has confirmed to the Atkinson Police Department that the cause of death was carbon monoxide."

The Associated Press reported that Delp had closed himself into the bathroom with two barbecues, and that he had left notes and letters for his family and for Sullivan.

In related news, Boston leader Tom Scholz shared his recollections about Delp with Rolling Stone. Here are some highlights from what he wrote about his old friend:

"I met Brad, soft-spoken and unassuming, when he auditioned in a recording studio outside of Boston one night to sing several songs I had written... Having endured countless sessions with other singers, most with undeserved egos, I had only the faintest glimmer of hope that he might be good enough to squeak by as a suitable vocalist. He didn't warm up -- he just listened to the prerecorded instrument track once. Then he started to sing. I don't know if it took two seconds or three, but before he finished singing the first line, I knew that some guardian angel had just delivered to me one of the best vocalists ever to step up to a microphone! Then he kept going and I realized he wasn't just one of the best, he was amazing!..."

"Before we left that night, he had rewritten the lyrics and the melody, sung all the vocal parts, and with the magic of his voice, turned my stark guitar riff into a song! From that moment on, I only hoped I could write and record music worthy of his attention and interpretation... You'd think anyone with this super human talent would be an insufferable egomaniac. But Brad was just the opposite, and amazingly he remained honestly humble in spite of the incredible star pressure that followed Boston's success... Unlike many other individuals eventually involved with Boston, Brad's down-to-earth personality never wavered -- it was his natural demeanor."

"When someone asked me what Brad was like, the first words that always came to mind were 'nice guy.' Oddly, his incredible performing abilities seem barely worth mentioning compared to his attributes as a human being. He was soft-spoken, yet very quick and funny. Although I rarely remember seeing him in the throws of a good belly laugh, he could keep the people around him in stitches effortlessly, and did so on a daily basis. When he wasn't making someone laugh, or giving his time to a fan, he was a tireless worker, both in the studio and on stage."

"I last saw Brad at rehearsal last month where we prepared several old and new songs for our upcoming summer shows. These are my fondest memories, playing music with my friend and the greatest singer in rock-and-roll."