Ronnie Montrose’s Death Caused By Self-Inflicted Gunshot

Ronnie Montrose’s Death Caused By Self-Inflicted Gunshot by: Dave Swanson 5 hours ago

It has been confirmed that Ronnie Montrose’s death last month was not directly due to his long battle with cancer. The San Mateo County Coroner’s Office reports the guitarist instead died from suicide in the form of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

According to family friend Michael Molenda, in a sad and touching article on GuitarPlayer.com, the Montrose family knew the findings would be made public soon. So they posted a statement on the guitarist’s website and official Facebook page, which reads in part:

“By now, the devastating truth of Ronnie’s death is public knowledge. We hope you can understand why we wanted to keep this news a private family matter for as long as possible. We can only hope that you will choose to celebrate Ronnie’s life, and what his music meant to you, rather than mourn his passing. Ronnie would have wanted it that way.”

Montrose apparently suffered from clinical depression for much of his life. His wife and manager, Leighsa Montrose, explained that he “had a very difficult childhood, which caused him to have extremely deep and damaging feelings of inadequacy, this is why he always drove himself so hard.”

Leighsa goes on to detail her husband’s last days on earth, which conclude with him saying good-bye to her in a series of heartbreaking text messages. To her immense credit, she seems to have found peace in his passing:

“I looked at his peaceful and calm face, and I said to him, ‘You’ve shown me I have no choice in this matter… I told him I loved him. I accepted what had happened. And then I sat calmly on the couch and called the police department.”

By her account, despite all his success and acclaim, Montrose “never thought he was good enough. He always feared he’d be exposed as a fraud. So he was exacting in his self-criticism, and the expectations he put upon himself were tremendous. Now I see that perhaps he didn’t want to carry these burdens for very much longer.”

Make it Last

Well, I remember when I was seventeen,
My father told me, “Pick your dreams.”
He said life ain’t easy as it seems.
When you get older you’ll see what I mean.

At the time, I wanted to be twenty-one
It seemed the right age for havin’ fun.
But when I got there I was still too young-
And twenty-five seemed to be the one.

But now I live my life from day to day
‘Cuz I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Whether I’m twelve or whether I’m sixty-four
I spend my time like there ain’t gonna be no more.

You know that sweet girl you’ve been chasin’ round
She got you hooked ‘long as she keeps you down.
Well, I know what happens once she comes around
It won’t be long and you’ll be back on the town.

Lord, yes! Alright!
Things between, they suit you right.
But once you get them it seems like they’re all alike.
So make it last as long as you can
It’s so much easier when you understand.

Delp’s death still shakes me to the core to this day...how he killed himself after literally appearing the night before doing a Beatles tribute show and singing Happy Birthday laughing and smiling and having a great time...

Richard Cory

Whenever Richard Cory went down town, We people on the pavement looked at him: He was a gentleman from sole to crown, Clean favored and imperially slim.

And he was always quietly arrayed, And he was always human when he talked; But still he fluttered pulses when he said, 'Good Morning' and he glittered when he walked.

And he was rich-yes, richer than a king- And admirably schooled in every grace: In fine, we thought that he was everything To make us wish that we were in his place.

So on we worked, and waited for the light, And went without the meat, and cursed the bread: And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, Went home and put a bullet through his head.

I put up this thread less than two weeks ago upon finally hearing of Ronnie’s passing:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2866294/posts

I find this all supremely sad. His wife’s reaction, poignant as it may seem, is just silly to me. The man had talent in abundance, yet he took what is only God’s to take: his own life. That is NEVER the answer. We are granted this life by God Himself for a reason or reasons; who are WE to second-guess or short-circuit His plan for our lives?

It’s a kind of arrogance that I’ll never understand. People can talk to me all day long about “clinical depression” (whatever the hell that really is; we all have our demons to wrestle and our challenges in this world). You have to suck it up, hand it over to God, and move on.

I’ve known many, many musicians in my life, being a rock/blues guitarist of over 40 years myself. There is a very strong tendency among guitarists, especially, to constantly compare themselves to others and find themselves wanting. Just when you think you’re getting pretty good, along comes an Eddie Van Halen, or Eric Johnson, or Steve Vai, or Hendrix, or the best in my opinion....Gary Moore. There’s always some hot rod out there who can mop the floor with you. I’ve seen phenomenal guitarists give it up; hang up the instrument because “I’ll never be as good as so-and-so”.

My response is always “So what? Who cares??? Who defines which style or tone or skill set is ‘better’ than another’s?”

You identify, over a long period of time usually, who and what you are as a musician. Many things define this: your upbringing, your MUSICAL upbringing, your spirit, your heart, your ears, your fingers.....but it really is mostly about how much of your heart you pour into your playing.

I know a guy here in Raleigh who is nothing short of breathtakingly talented on the guitar. He is lead guitarist of the top Van Halen tribute band in the country, bar none. There’s nothing ol’ Eddie has ever played that this guy can’t tear up. I sit by him and watch him play and I just laugh; it’s a pure joy to see and hear such skill.

Yet he is SO hard on himself. He gushes over MY playing (I’m a hack compared to him, technically speaking). He doesn’t feel he’s “good enough”.

These feelings of inadequacy can drive people to extremes when they don’t put such things into the proper context in life, in this world.

We are here to serve God; to serve His Son, out Lord and Savior. Everything we do should be to glorify Him in some way. No less than Johann Sebastian Bach put it best about 300 years ago:

“The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.”

I just feel sad that Ronnie never understood this. He’d still be alive, a husband, an innovator, a musician doing what he loved best.....and he would never have taken the ultimate gift, life, and tossed it aside by his own hand.

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