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| 12 Large Forever Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein |
Larry Sweeney, the enigmatic and charismatic wrestler and manager, would have turned 33 years old today. Nearly three years ago, a week before King of Trios in 2011, he took his own life after battling depression for an extended period of time. Sweeney was loved by seemingly everyone who knew him, and his passing cast a pall over the wrestling world, especially Chikara, for a long time. One could say that the Chikara family is still trying to cope with his death.
As a performer, very few people were as vibrant, charismatic, or joyful as Sweeney, but underneath his shiny exterior, he was in real pain. Today, and every day, the best thing you can do is not look the other way when a friend of yours is showing symptoms of depression. Talk to them. Get them help. Don't say they're a downer and cut them out, and then remark how you "saw it coming" after they died, whether regretfully, or like some callous individuals did after Sweeney's death, blithely. The second best thing you can do is reach out to charities that help people who are dealing with mental illness and vote for elected officials who at least say they want to fix the state of treatment towards those battling depression and other debilitating mental issues.
And as a bonus, the following video shows Sweeney back when he met Ric Flair while with Ring of Honor.
As a performer, very few people were as vibrant, charismatic, or joyful as Sweeney, but underneath his shiny exterior, he was in real pain. Today, and every day, the best thing you can do is not look the other way when a friend of yours is showing symptoms of depression. Talk to them. Get them help. Don't say they're a downer and cut them out, and then remark how you "saw it coming" after they died, whether regretfully, or like some callous individuals did after Sweeney's death, blithely. The second best thing you can do is reach out to charities that help people who are dealing with mental illness and vote for elected officials who at least say they want to fix the state of treatment towards those battling depression and other debilitating mental issues.
And as a bonus, the following video shows Sweeney back when he met Ric Flair while with Ring of Honor.
