Ingo Schwichtenberg (May 18, 1965 – March 8, 1995)

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Born in Hamburg, Germany, Ingo Schwichtenberg was a drummer and one of the founding members of the German metal band Helloween.  His first instrument was the clarinet, which he played in high school. His dad bought him a drum kit a year later and realized that would be the instrument he would study more seriously. 

He met guitarist Kai Hansen the same year and joined his band, which was called Gentry, then later changed to Iron Fist.  Schwichtenberg got the idea of renaming the band after watching the movie 'Halloween'.  He was fired from the band in 1995 due to his increasing dependence on alcohol, cocaine, and hashish; however, Schwichtenberg suffered from untreated schizophrenia due to his refusal to take medication.  His substance abuse and mental health issues eventually led to getting fired from his 9-year stint with the band, as he would have spells of bizarre behavior and uncontrollable sobbing, making it extremely difficult to play live shows.  His band members couldn’t let him continue touring, as it was obviously stressful for him and everyone else.


After being forced to leave the band, Schwichtenberg slid deeper into depression and worsening psychotic states.  He committed suicide by jumping in front of an oncoming subway shortly before his 30th birthday. 


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