Poets Who Died Tragic Deaths

A cult figure in the counterculture of the 1960s, Richard Brautigan was catapulted to literary fame thanks to the publication of his 1967 dreamlike prose-poetry novel "Trout Fishing In America." His most enduring work includes the poem "All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace," which describes a utopia in which technology improves human lives.

A cult figure in the counterculture of the 1960s, Richard Brautigan was catapulted to literary fame thanks to the publication of his 1967 dreamlike prose-poetry novel "Trout Fishing In America." His most enduring work includes the poem "All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace," which describes a utopia in which technology improves human lives. However, as the '60s ended and the counterculture of that decade began to dissipate, Brautigan found himself adrift. His friend Thomas McGuane described him as "the baby thrown out with the bathwater," according to the Spectator.

As the 1970s turned into the 1980s, Brautigan's previously irrepressible productivity, through which he created the many slim volumes that would make him famous, began to wane, and his readership with it (per brautigan.net). He filled the void with alcoholism, paranoia, and a growing appreciation of firearms.

Brautigan's body was found by two friends at his home in Bolinas, California, at the end of October 1984, according to the New York Times. Horrifically, his body had been decomposing for five weeks before the grisly discovery, a sad indication of how neglected he had become as a writer and public figure in the years since his heyday. He had apparently died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and left behind a disturbing suicide note that said "Messy, isn't it."

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

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