Famous musicians, actresses, and comedians have been married to spouses who took their own lives. Some struggled with depression for years, while others' deaths were linked to drug and alcohol addictions. Joan Rivers tops the list: her husband Edgar Rosenberg ingested a lethal mix of Valium and alcohol in 1987, after 22 years of marriage. Other notable cases include Courtney Love and Jean Harlow. Men like Phil Hartman and Jackson Browne have also lost wives to suicide. On May 28, 1998, Brynn Hartman killed her husband and then herself, leaving two children behind. In 1976, Phyllis Major, Jackson Browne's wife, overdosed on barbiturates, inspiring his song 'Sleep's Dark and Silent Gate'. Many celebrities have been widowed by suicide - see the full list and join the conversation in the comments.
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In 1987, Joan Rivers's husband, Edgar Rosenberg, ended his life by swallowing Valium and alcohol. They married in 1965.
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On April 5, 1994, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain shot himself with a shotgun. Courtney Love, his wife, and their daughter, Francis Bean Cobain, remember the 27-year-old.
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In 1932, months after marrying Jean Harlow, MGM executive Paul Bern shot himself. He left a note saying, "Dearest Dear: Unfortunately this is the only way to make good the frightful wrong I have done you and to wipe out my abject humiliation. You understand that last night was only a comedy."
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On May 28, 1998, Brynn Hartman shot and killed her husband.SNLActor and comedian Phil Hartman took his own life that same day. The Hartmans left behind two children in the tragedy.
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Henry Fonda's wife and Jane Fonda's mother, Frances Ford Seymour, took their lives in 1950.
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In 1976, Jackson Browne's wife, Phyllis Major, overdosed on barbiturates and committed suicide. Browne wrote "Sleep's Dark and Silent Gate" about her death.
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Author Carson McCullers made a suicide pact with her husband, Reeves McCullers. She chose her health, going to the U.S. while he stayed in Europe. Reeves took an overdose of sleeping pills in 1953.
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