A British man has killed himself after suffering a debilitating ear-ringing condition that he claimed was induced by a concert from supergroup Them Crooked Vultures. According to the UK's Telegraph, 52-year-old Robert McIndoe stabbed himself to death on October 31, 2010, after dealing with the condition for over three months.
While his wife Shirley revealed in a recent inquest that Robert hadn't been too concerned about the extreme case of tinnitus, which developed shortly after he saw the band at Brixton Academy in July 2010, he became extremely stressed once the affliction refused to go away. She recalled that he had been "cross with himself" over not bringing earplugs to the show.
"When it first happened he wasn't too bothered about it because he thought it would subside, and the friend he had been with also had ringing in his ears that day," she said. "But it was a constant irritation. He didn't get a night of sleep after that until he went to hospital."
McIndoe went to a few different doctors, but apparently hadn't received any word about his condition. A letter of referral to go see an ear, throat and nose specialist on November 1, 2010, arrived the day after he had killed himself. He had also sought out alternative therapies, including acupuncture, and considered cutting his auditory nerve to fix the problem.
The inquest revealed that McIndoe had originally tried to commit suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills that had been prescribed to deal with the constant ringing. Shirley described that he had left a suicide note, explaining, "He said he hadn't wanted to wake up because he couldn't bear the thought that he was no good to us. He just wanted to sleep and not be suffering."
The inquest has been adjourned, but will resume in the new year.
While his wife Shirley revealed in a recent inquest that Robert hadn't been too concerned about the extreme case of tinnitus, which developed shortly after he saw the band at Brixton Academy in July 2010, he became extremely stressed once the affliction refused to go away. She recalled that he had been "cross with himself" over not bringing earplugs to the show.
"When it first happened he wasn't too bothered about it because he thought it would subside, and the friend he had been with also had ringing in his ears that day," she said. "But it was a constant irritation. He didn't get a night of sleep after that until he went to hospital."
McIndoe went to a few different doctors, but apparently hadn't received any word about his condition. A letter of referral to go see an ear, throat and nose specialist on November 1, 2010, arrived the day after he had killed himself. He had also sought out alternative therapies, including acupuncture, and considered cutting his auditory nerve to fix the problem.
The inquest revealed that McIndoe had originally tried to commit suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills that had been prescribed to deal with the constant ringing. Shirley described that he had left a suicide note, explaining, "He said he hadn't wanted to wake up because he couldn't bear the thought that he was no good to us. He just wanted to sleep and not be suffering."
The inquest has been adjourned, but will resume in the new year.
