One of the best things to happen in the last few years is the spotlight given to mental health awareness. Sometimes — especially in dire circumstances — our brains can play tricks on us. It's important to know that happiness is a part of being healthy.
Unfortunately, sometimes mental illness may lead people down a dark path. Many of us have lost someone we love due to suicide or self-harm. And mental health doesn't take a backseat based on notoriety or financial gain. Many children of celebrities have also experienced these urges. It's important to openly talk about it and offer help whenever we can.
Marie Osmond unfortunately relived the death of her son through another celebrity. Recently, Lisa Marie Presley's son, Benjamin Keough, was found dead by apparent suicide. The news was shocking.
Benjamin was born in 1992. He and his sister, Riley Keough, share father Danny Keough. Lisa Marie split with Danny when Benjamin was only 2. Afterward, she notably married Michael Jackson.
Marie Osmond talked about the incident during a recent at-home episode of The Talk. In 2010, Marie lost her son, Michael Blosil, due to the same reason. Hearing about other celebrities having to witness the deaths of their children made her reflect on her own loss and experience. According to Marie, she's still not over what happened — and may never be.
"It's very close to home for me," she said, with tears. "When I heard the news, I just sat back and I relived it all again. I know exactly what she's going through. And it brought back all those feelings of the first time I saw him." She admits the scene was devastating.
"That realization, especially for Lisa," she continued. "I mean, it's her baby, her boy, you know. And I know the grieving she has to be going through. It's really difficult." Marie initially opened up about the death of Michael to Oprah Winfrey just eight months after it happened.
"When I heard him say to me, I have no friends, it brought back when I went through depression, because you really feel so alone," Marie said, per ABC. "I'm not a depressed person, but I understand that place, that darkness. I told him, I said, 'Mike, I'm gonna be there Monday and it's gonna be OK.' But depression doesn't wait 'til Monday."
Michael ended his life on Friday, February 26, 2010, after jumping off a roof. At the time, he was studying at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. Michael openly had substance abuse issues, which stemmed from his parents' divorce. He and four of his siblings were adopted into the family.
"I've been through some tough things in my life. This is probably the hardest thing I've been through," Marie admitted back then. "I think there's always 'what ifs.' What if I had just put him on a plane and said come be with me, or gone there?" she asked. "I think if you live in 'what ifs' … you stop living."
"This is my opinion and something that I would suggest for anybody who goes through something like this," Marie said to her The Talk cohosts. "The hardship is devastating on you as a mother, but I would be aware of those around you — she has other children." Many times, parents who grieve forget that other kids still need them, making the loss worse.
Lisa Marie's son, Benjamin Keough, died due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Lisa's manager told TMZ that the family is absolutely devastated. "She is completely heartbroken, inconsolable and beyond devastated but trying to stay strong for her 11-year-old twins and her oldest daughter Riley," he said. "She adored that boy. He was the love of her life."
While Ben kept a private life, fans of the Presley family couldn't help but notice that he bore a very striking similarity to his grandfather, Elvis Presley. "Ben does look so much like Elvis," Lisa Marie once stated. "He was at the Opry and was the quiet storm behind the stage. Everybody turned around and looked when he was over there. Everybody was grabbing him for a photo because it is just uncanny."
He was only 27 years old and had a promising future in front of him. TMZ writes that back in 2009, he scored a multimillion dollar record deal. But he didn't seem to seek out fame, nor did he try to monopolize on his famous last name.
Speaking of his last name, a friend told People magazine that being directly related to Elvis was something that Ben struggled with. "Sometimes he struggled with depression," musician Brandon Howard said, stating that the current state of the world made things even heavier for his friend. "It takes a lot. I wish I could have been there."
"It's a tough thing when you have a lot of pressure with your family and living up to a name and an image," Brandon continued. "It's a lot of pressure. It's almost like you're pressured into having to be a musician, having to be an actor."
"It was good for him to go around the world and discover himself and have his own friends," Brandon added. "You never know what triggers it. You never know. It's so random." Brandon also had nothing but good things to say about Ben's personality, stating that he was always one of the first who volunteered to help his friends.
"He has always been there for everybody," he says. "In any kind of situation, he would be the one who would come crash with you on the couch for weeks until you're actually feeling better." He also made sure to comment on Ben's talents. Aside from music, he was reportedly an excellent chef.
"He would be the one I talked to when a lot of stuff was going around about me and questions about who I am and where I come from," Brandon said. "He was like, 'Who does that serve? Does that serve you or does that serve everyone else's purpose? You are who you are, I am who I am. So it's up to us. We don't have anything to prove. We just live our lives. Those who know it, they know.'"
Brandon has had his own difficult time in the spotlight. The musician is related to the Jackson family, with many thinking he might be Michael Jackson's love child. It's a possibility that Brandon is the person being referenced in Michael's hit song "Billie Jean," with the lyrics of "The kid is not my son."
The fact that the two of them shared a friendship is very touching. "He was super inspiring," Brandon concluded. "He was cool and very intelligent, intelligent beyond his years. He was multi-faceted. He could be anywhere from serious, giving advice, to like super crazy and wild and dancing and partying. He was a very loving person as a brother."
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
