Fall Out Boy bassist and Ashlee Simpson accessory Pete Wentz recently revealed his struggles with depression, anxiety and even a suicide attempt. Wentz spoke out about his problems to bring awareness to a growing suicide rate among teens and young adults in the U.S.
Fall Out Boy bassist (and Ashlee Simpson beau) Pete Wentz has revealed that he once was so “completely lost and out of control” he tried to take his own life.
Wentz, 28, says he had seen several doctors who gave him prescription drugs but things worsened around the time his band had finished recording their major label record a few years ago.
“I got in my car. I remember I was listening to Jeff Buckley doing Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and sat there and took a bunch of [anxiety drug] Ativan in a Best Buy parking lot,” Wentz says in a video for MTV’s college channel MTVU.
“And I called up my manager because I was, at that point, completely out of my head with Ativan. And I was talking to him and I was slurring my words, so he called my mom and my mom called me and she came and got me and we went to the hospital.”
Wentz — who is promoting Jed Foundation’s Half Of Us campaign (aimed at cutting student suicide rates) — says he decided to tell his story to help encourage young people seek out professional help.
“It’s not really about keeping your head above water, it’s about feeling all right and feeling safe in your own skin,” Wentz says. “It’s not about keeping your head above water and barely keep going.”
Not to make light of Pete’s problems, but could that suicide attempt be any more unoriginal? Killing yourself to Jeff Buckley? That’s like seducing a girl to “Let’s Get it On” – it’s been done to the point of silliness. On the other hand, teen girls (and boys) seem to love this kid, so good for him for bringing this issue to light.
Update by Celebitchy: Thanks to commentor Elisha for noting that Pete Wentz gave a different account of the music playing during his suicide attempt in a January, 2006 interview with Rolling Stone. There’s no doubt he’s referring to the same instance with Ativan in a Best Buy parking lot, but in that interview he wasn’t so sure about the music that was playing on his stereo and has since revised the story for maximum impact:
In 2005, you OD’d on Ativan and nearly died while sitting in a car in a Best Buy parking lot. Were you listening to music?
Not a good experience at all. At the time I was really into Frou Frou, but I was in my sister’s Escort, so I was probably listening to Q101 in Chicago. So it was whatever new-metal band that was big then. Probably Trapt. It was a bum-out.
[From Rollingstone.com, thanks to Elisha]
Maybe he honestly thinks “Hallelujah” was playing at the time and it’s something that kind of wormed its way into his conscious memory, and helps him make sense of a very painful event. We are not pointing this out to take a jab at Pete, and suicide is a tragic and desperate measure. He deserves credit for speaking out about it and bringing awareness to this important issue. [Thanks to Syko for mentioning that.]
Pete Wentz is shown at the DCMA Collective store opening on 3/14/08 and at LAX Nightclub on 2/23/08, thanks to PRPhotos.
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