David Roberto Hellman (May 28, 1980 – January 13, 2006)

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         Better known in the glam metal world as Dave Lepard, he was the guitarist and lead singer for Crashdïet. Lepard was from Uppsala, Sweden, was initially in a band called Warpath, and used to play an instrument called the charango which is a small Andean stringed instrument that belongs to the lute family. 
            
         Crashdïet had somewhat of a cult following in Sweden and were not so well known here in the US. Their debut album Rest in Sleaze entered the Swedish charts at No. 12 in 2005. They were heavily influenced by sleaze/hair metal bands such as Twisted Sister, Mötley Crüe, Skid Row, and W.A.S.P.  Lepard was outspoken and unashamed about the lifestyle he led. Band members reportedly became frustrated with his excessive drug and alcohol use. In the Swedish magazine Groove, Lepard commented about his lifestyle:           
           
            "You live in chaos, depend on welfare, are an addict and things fucking suck. That's why it often collides with the music; it's too much of the good stuff and the music is affected. You would need 48 hours per day, but you're so fucking stupid and get your priorities wrong...We want to get hard rock back on track again, and it’s nice that it’s getting bigger again. All the other crap is becoming so tiresome. I mean, hip hop people live in the sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle to a much larger extent than hard rockers do.”

            Shortly before his death in early 2006, friends had started to notice an increase in his depressive episodes, out of character behavior, and weight loss.  He had not been in touch with anyone for over 2 weeks and committed suicide by hanging himself in his apartment at the age of 25.



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