Pete Wentz: 'I tried to kill myself'

Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy Photo by Pieter M Van Hattem

Fall Out Boy man in suicide admission

Mar 20, 2008
35 Comments
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Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz has revealed that he tried to commit suicide couple of years ago.

In an attempt to take his own life Wentz took an excessive amount of prescription anti-depression drug Ativan.

Speaking to MTV News the bassist said: "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 Ativan in a Best Buy parking lot.

"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 has since signed up to the Half Of Us suicide prevention campaign organised by the Jed Foundation, alongside the likes of Mary J Blige and Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan.

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Comments (35)

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wellduhobviously

Mar 20, 2008

Emopoints for trying. Better luck next time.

bwfc91

Mar 20, 2008

Isn't that what the song '7 minutes in Heaven' on From under th cork tree is all about???

ajmccarthy76

Mar 20, 2008

wow. that seems legit.

cupsfromikea

Mar 20, 2008

Oh what a troubled soul

theeggster

Mar 20, 2008

Whoopee doooooo.

dukex

Mar 20, 2008

What an idiot, I'm a bit embarassed for him, that he actually came out and told that story. if true, i wouldn't have told anyone, let alone the press. Do you think he mentioned the Jeff Buckley thing to sound cool? cock!!

the_royal_wee

Mar 20, 2008

1000 emo points! woop!

dukex

Mar 20, 2008

silly boy

vinny_mack

Mar 20, 2008

So close yet so far...

deanglover

Mar 21, 2008

lol his mom

Peasy

Mar 21, 2008

I really wish people wouldn't say 'what a shame' when someone talks about trying to commit suicide. Youmay not like the guy but if what he says helps people not try and take their own life then he's a million times better than you.

engravedwiththewordsfuckyou

Mar 21, 2008

all your sarcastic comments are fucking pathetic.
depression and suicide is a serious issue, and clearly you have no fucking idea what its like to go through.
respect to pete for being prepared to talk about it, and for supporting such a worthy campaign.
and shame on you ignorant pricks.

paulymr

Mar 21, 2008

Well what can i say, hmm your a cock for trying to glamorize suicide by trying to make it sound so fucking cool my mentioning jeff buckley. what did you think would happen if you left out that small fact out?? do you think people would take you seriously for once in your life???

gailtill

Mar 21, 2008

a troubled soul, it`s a shame

emilygeek

Mar 21, 2008

whether you like pete wentz or not, he's a real person at the end of the day and is only trying to help other people, so what's the point with the horrible comments. good for him for supporting such a worthy campaign.

frezznet

Mar 22, 2008

wat a retard he should no betta lol

louis Orleans

Mar 22, 2008

The combination of Buckley's godawful caterwauling self pity and Fall Out Boy being so shite would push anyone over the edge. Seriously though, poor lad depression is damn serious stuff .

New Dawn Fades.

Mar 23, 2008

I really hate fall out boy ,but I have been in wentz position lately so its atleast a good thing to see him helping others like myself.

themetunes

Mar 23, 2008

This is really old news, NME. He's been talking about it for at least a year, even in your very pages. I'm not even a FOB fan and I know every detail of it.

aphexbin

Mar 23, 2008

was this before or after he took pictures of his knob and they got posted all over the internet?
Suicide and depression are serious issues, but for various reasons I just cant take Pete Wentz seriously.

cutiepiesbe

Mar 23, 2008

fair play to him for talking about it, even if he is talking shit and doing it for these alleged 'emo points' at least hes bringing something as serious as suicide into the spotlight, and you never know it could possibly help someone you know...dont be so shallow people! x

lectroneon

Mar 23, 2008

As if anyone actually believes this rubbish. it has publicity stunt written all over it. Pop stars say whatever they're told to to get coverage.

brassmule

Mar 23, 2008

Ativan is not an "anti-depression" medication, as listed in the article. It's a very powerful sedative, the most potent of the benzodiazepines, and is most frequently used for the treatment of severe anxiety. I'm a nurse and administer it as such for patients who basically need something to keep them calm for a short period of time - the key here is short-term, not long-term as anti-depression meds always are. Think of it as valium x10. I've given it one time as an anticonvulsant, which is another common usage for it.

Because of the powerful effects of this medication, however, it can be abused by people seeking a high, rather than for legitimate medical reasons. Any MD who prescribes this for "depression," if it was in fact actually prescribed to him in the first place and for that reason, is probably retarded. More likely than not, the writer of this article just failed to research the medication properly.

skybluepancho

Mar 23, 2008

bigger, better news:
the kooks new album has leaked.

pete wentz, with regards to the suicide attempt.
we really don't care...puh!
boy band's love the attention these days.

pete wentz and his marching band aren't no
different.
x

mike1990

Mar 23, 2008

tosser

wheres_lissa

Mar 23, 2008

Geez! He might be famous but the way you guys are going on you wouldn't think he's an actual person! Anyone who is depressed enough to want to kill themselves, at least, deserves respect privacy and maybe a little sympathy... It's great that he's helping others out now though depression is such a big problem that the more publicity it gets the better.

Quistis

Mar 23, 2008

I knew it. But i mean, who cares. It's his own life. Better talk about music ^^

pigeonfeatures

Mar 23, 2008

fall out boy represent everything that is wrong in the world.. if you listen to them or anything that sounds like them you need to sit down in a dark corner and have a serious chat with yourself! a disgusting band!

AquamarineVista

Mar 24, 2008

People, this really has nothing to do with whether he's emo or not, all kinds of people can can it.
Depression (and the suicidal behavior that can come with it) is a serious illness, and it's brave that he can stand up and talk about this, and help other people out with it.
Also- the fact that he mentioned he was listening to Jeff Buckly doesn't mean he is trying score cool points. It's probably one of the most prominent things about his whole ordeal. Listening to music that is the same as how you feel would have helped him.

seamonkey007

Mar 24, 2008

Ive got a mate who is having trouble seeing his 2 year old daughter he adores, due to a messy split from his missus. He has been sleeping on a kitchen floor for two weeks, and he can still raise a smile go to work every day, and get on with his life! now thats cause for REAL depression!!! Some people are stronger than others... But then again being a member of F.O.B. is quite a harrowing experience I would imagine!

Sazza-Poo

Mar 24, 2008

omg .... pete why did you even think about it

loadz of peope love you

kerplunka

Mar 24, 2008

I just saw FOB here in Santiago de Chile, they rocked!
Pete was really nuts, he stage-dived just after throwing his bass guitar away!
Bad thing, he's not a bassist, he can't play

Moz_1983

Mar 25, 2008

FAO: Peasy

I don't think he's a million times better than anyone else because his admission may or may not prevent others from following his path. I'd rather reserve my kudos and admiration for those who thanklessly work, unpaid, for the Samaritans each week. Their work is far more valuable than the half arsed publicity attempt of some talentless poser prat in skinny jeans.

Metallic_Penguin

Apr 5, 2008

I still can't believe that he tried to do this ... it still upsets me so much ... and to the comment below ... yes the song '7 minutes in heaven' is about pete's suicide attempt !

joel.driscoll

Jul 7, 2008

the song ''i've got a dark alley and a bad idea...(summer song) etc is about Pete's suicide attempt, not Atavan Halen, it's the name that throws people I think. But I agree, the name which is similar to the anti depression drug Atavin and the 7 seconds in heaven seem to work. And seriously, you f***ing idiots, what? cos he's talented and in a band he doesnt have 'real' depression? I'm sure each persons story is diff regardless whethere they're a labourere or in a band....