Phyllis Hyman/Mindy McCready, Talented Singers and Suicide

I not too long ago discovered a most fabulous 70s-90s jazz/R&B/pop singer born in Philadelphia and raised in Pittsburgh! Oh yes, she did it all. She is no longer living and unlike the talented black female singers we've heard so much about such as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and Dionne Warwick, she was in many ways sort of a hidden treasure, which is why TV One's Unsung did a documentary feature on her. And a fun fact, Clyde Davis and Arista records had signed all the above singers, BUT Phyllis Hyman was the first. With all these great female singers now signed to the label, competition became fierce and this often depressed Hyman, making her irritable. She had problems with drug (cocaine) and alcohol use, as well as eating disorders (she would overeat when depressed). She was constantly in and out of rehab and counseling, but those things would only help her for short periods of time.

I stumbled upon her when I was searching one of my favorite old school songs by Bobby Caldwell--"What You Won't Do, Do For Love." Hyman had done a jazzy cover of the song. Her voice was what I like to call a deep, but rich sultry alto voice, but make no mistake that woman could reach soprano, bring it down to tenor, scat, and whistle like no other. She was a dazzling beauty! Check out her 6-part TV One Unsung documentary on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd-tjFDIQrw (I've ordered her biography from my school library--still waiting impatiently for it. lol

Aside from her music, which had so much meaning and feeling, her story captivated me because she committed suicide at such an early age (45) and a week before her birthday. Dorothy Dandridge, star of Carmen Jones and Porgy and Bess, did the exact same thing. The puzzling question here is why do so many rich, beautiful, and genuinely talented people commit suicide? Mindy McCready (37), country singer, famous for her 1996 song Ten Thousand Angels (and I absolutely LOVE that song) recently committed suicide. http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/02/17/troubled-country-crooner-mindy-mccready-reportedly-commits-suicide/

Does the answer lie in loneliness, pressures of the music industry, the annoyance of 24/7 paparazzi, abusive relationships, bipolar or mental disorders (what Phyllis Hyman was diagnosed with), or could it be a compilation of all of these factors? All I know is I am so glad that I discovered her work and her legacy will live on through her timeless music!