Roy Raymond /founder of Victoria's Secret/jumper

I hope it's not too morbid to ask,

Can I be honest here?

As human beings, I think we're always going to wonder what prompts our fellow human beings to take their own lives. Famous people are even more baffling because, often, they are seen to have "everything going for them," (i.e. fame opens a lot of doors) yet still commit suicide. Meanwhile, people who have much less going for them, (and who might even be said to be living in pretty dismal circumstances) continue to struggle to live on without a second thought; one person's world-ending event is another's mere bump on the road.

So while I can't speak for anyone else, no, I don't think it's morbid. Personally, I believe that thinking about our fellow human beings and why they do what they do (yes, including ending their own lives) is a part of being human. The fate of other people is important to us, even if we don't always admit it to ourselves.

but would Roy Raymond be the most prominent known jumper from the Golden Gate Bridge? He was probably better known than Duane Garrett, at least outside the Bay Area. Another local celebrity was Mark Finch, director of the Frameline gay film festival – probably not a big name outside the Bay Area either.

You might also have to consider timeframes, too.

For instance, Philip H. Sheridan III, the grandson of Philip Sheridan, (US Civil War general) leaped from the bridge in 1948; I'm sure that made a few headlines in its day. As far as the late 20th/early 21st century goes, however, yeah, Roy Raymond is likely the most famous person to take his life at the bridge (though if you read the news stories from the time of Duane Garrett's death, he seemed to be pretty widely known in political circles, at least).

I think in the case of celebrities, being that well-known might work against you in a public place like the Golden Gate Bridge. Think about what would probably happen if an A-list celebrity like Keanu Reeves showed up and started walking around there.

As for the "whys" of Mr. Raymond – or most anyone else, for that matter – I suspect they took the explanation with them, and we'll probably never understand the true torment that caused them to take their lives.

True, the only way you and I can get inside another person's head is if they decide to invite us inside. If I understand correctly, people who are serious about committing suicide (as opposed to a "cry for help") are very good at concealing their plans from the people around them.

Even so, sometimes there's a clue that can be picked up on in retrospect that gives us some sort of reason why they decided to end their life. A breakup, a lost job, battle for custody of a much-beloved child, something that people can look at and say, "Yes, that was what pushed them over the edge."

In Mr. Raymond's case, the motivation may not have had anything to do with Victoria Secret's and his various investments' successes or failures, but rather his feelings about his life in general, independent of how much money he was making or losing.

I guess I thought along those lines because money has a way of helping to solve problems (or, if not solve them, at least help to make them more bearable). True, it's no guarantee of happiness, but reading some of the backstories of GGB suicides, (particularly in the late 1930's) it's apparent that lack of money is what drives at least some people to go out to the bridge.

Well, that, and the fact (let's face it) we're currently going through The Great Depression 2: Electric Boogaloo. : /

When Tad Friend did that Fatal Grandeur piece for the New Yorker in 2003, he included a few brief excerpts from some of the newspaper stories of GGB suicides he had read as part of his research. The saddest one for me, the one that will forever stick in my mind is: “using his last nickel to scratch a farewell on the guard railing.” Ever since I read that, I just can't shake the mental image of someone doing that as their last act on earth. [shudders]

All this is total speculation, of course.

Speculation is about all that's left to us at this point. What makes the Raymond case even more puzzling is the fact that he had two teenaged children at the time.

I know that people who in pain to the point of suicide can't think about anything else but their pain, but it always bothers me twice as much when people who have young children commit suicide.

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