It's been reported that his wife found him after he hanged himself. Foster Wallace, longtime darling of grad students and civilian PoMo lit fans, was often very funny in print (see his famous essay skewering the cruise ship experience, "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again"), but as his 2005 speech at Kenyon College implied, he was not unfamiliar with the heft of existence:

[L]earning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. Because if you cannot exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed. Think of the old cliché about quote the mind being an excellent servant but a terrible master.

This, like many clichés, so lame and unexciting on the surface, actually expresses a great and terrible truth. It is not the least bit coincidental that adults who commit suicide with firearms almost always shoot themselves in: the head. They shoot the terrible master. And the truth is that most of these suicides are actually dead long before they pull the trigger.

Very Sad.

[Via Reluctant Habits]

Update: The LAT confirms as well.

A female companion of the rapper told officers that Brown last week filled a prescription for 40 pain pills, but had only taken five of the pills up to yesterday. Brown told police that he had taken the balance of the pills last night. The woman, who has been identified as Lizzie Grubman, Brown's publicist, also told responding officers (RO/S) that she observed Brown(identified in the report as "comp," or complainant) put two pills in his mouth, which she tried to retrieve by placing her fingers in his mouth.

My. We'll let you know when we get to the bottom of this unconfirmed rumor of Lizzie's lifesaving mouth-prying heroics.

[HHBoard]

"Korshunova, a green-eyed beauty, known as 'The Russian Rapunzel' for her long, flowing chestnut locks, worked with the elite modeling agency IMG, which boasts top models Heidi Klum and Kate Moss. 'Our hearts are with her family,' said IMG's representative, Zach Eichman.

"The 5-foot-8 head-turner—just days from her 21st birthday—has been featured in ads for Marc Jacobs, DKNY, Vera Wang and Christian Dior. She was discovered in 2003 when a booker from London-based Models 1, Debbie Jones, noticed her in a feature about the model's hometown of Almaty, Kazakhstan.

"'She looked like something out of a fairytale!' Jones told British Vogue. Soon after, the 17-year-old beauty was hailed as the next big thing, gracing runways at Fashion Week wearing Jill Stuart, Betsey Johnson and other designers.

"Her distraught ex-boyfriend, Artem Perchenok, 24, said that he dropped the model at her apartment at 5 a.m. after they watched the movie 'Ghost.'

"'She was a good person'" he told The Post, still reeling from the shock.

"Friends broke the tragic news to Korshunova's mom, Valentina and brother Ruslan, who still live in Kazakhstan. '[The mom] didn't believe it was real,' one close friend told the Post via phone from Moscow, Russia.

"Korshunova's best friend, Kira Titeneva broke down when she arrived at her pal's apartment late last night. 'We were talking on the phone last night,' she said. 'She loved life so much. She was an angel.' Titeneva, who grew up in her pal's hometown, said Korshunova 'wasn't wild. She was never on drugs or anything.'

"Another friend said that Korshunova seemed to be 'on top of the world.'

"'There were no signs,' said the pal who did not want to be named. 'That's what's driving me crazy. I don't see one reason why she would do that.'" [NYP]

[via Adrants; photo via Peter Kreder]

... a colleague and friend of Mr. Tilley’s, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “There’s no way you or I will know why he did this, but it’s certainly not because of blogs.”

“I know it bothered him,” the colleague said, referring to the public criticism. “However, he was very intelligent, with lots of talents and skills, and this was not his whole life. Pointing to blogging and the media just trivializes a man whose life was not trivial.”

The Times also tracked down the 29-year-old woman who writes AgencySpy. She sent an email to the Times saying she does not feel responsible for Tilley's death:

“Perhaps the definition has changed as information has become more easily accessible,” she said. ”This new medium has different rules and that may include the scope of who and who isn’t in the public eye. Some people subscribe to these new notions and some don’t.

“I’m saddened by Paul Tilley’s death, but I do not feel that my blog postings contributed to the events that occurred.”

Nina DiSesa of ad agency McCann Erickson Worldwide, who has a new book arguing that men listen "like a dog does," said blogs should be more respectful. Her original quote, "BAD blogger, BAD!" was apparently rejected, and anyway most male readers were too busy sniffing butts and howling at the moon to finish the article.

Her nemesis George Parker at the advertising blog AdScam, who recently called "the vast majority of the work" coming out of DiSesa's firm "shit," said traffic to his site has tripled in the wake of the suicide.

[Times]

Mento was the AP's budget director for 15 years, according to Newsday. Police say that he died of suffocation from the duct tape, but that he was alone in the room. He was not found in the bathtub, as initially reported, but on the bathroom floor. They also say he may have had a gambling problem, but no definitive connection has been established yet. He left the AP in 2004.

[Fishbowl NY]

Nina DiSesa Says: February 25, 2008 at 2:06 pm

Paul Tilley worked for me for three years at JWT Chicago, from 1991 through 1994, then I left for New York. Even then we could see that this young man was destined for big things in this business. He was not only a wonderful writer and creative thinker, he was fun to be around and had a generosity of spirit that made us all happy to be in the same agency. And he was just a kid at that time.

These hateful advertising blogs seem to be written by people who are bitter about the business. Perhaps they tried to make it in this tough industry and failed and now all they can do is make derogatory comments about the people who are smart enough and brave enough to work at the top of this challenging business. It's so easy to criticize creative people because what we do is so arbitrary and subject to almost anyone's opinion, but only a few have the guts and the brains to be creative directors. It's a lonely job and the people who keep insulting creative directors on this blog should spend their time trying to be better at their own jobs. I notice that no one uses their real name. Mine is Nina DiSesa, I am still in the business and working every day as the chairman of McCann Erickson's New York office. And I don't care if everyone takes a potshot at me. People who write and contribute to these ugly blogs are losers. Their comments don't bother me in the least.

Seamus Says: February 24, 2008 at 7:08 am Agreed that it's sad and I am sure the condolences are meant. But you bitched about the guy 5 days ago and now that post is mysteriously missing from your site.

S.O. Says:
February 24, 2008 at 11:58 am
Heartfelt? True? Just stop it now. It's too late.
Paul was a talented, compassionate, kind, and thoughtful man. But those with far less character, in name and anonymously, chose not to write those things.

bill Says:
February 24, 2008 at 3:43 pm
death by blog
It looks like this stupid blog can kill more than a career.

bill Says:
February 24, 2008 at 3:50 pm
F-ing parasites!
Agency Spy, George Parker/Adscam, and Lewis Lazare/Sun Times should all be sued.

Dan Says:
February 24, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Trust me... as someone who's known Paul for over 20 years... he heard and felt all those comments and whispers.
Sadly, we'll never know what drove him in those final hours. All support to his two girls.

gb Says:
February 25, 2008 at 3:01 am
What was written in the blogs about Paul was outrageous and cruel. If you don't think that such deeply hurtful comments were not impacting him and his family or fanning the flames at work, you are seriously naive. The criticism certainly undermined him. Paul sure wasn't perfect, but who is?
I can only hope that this horrible event will lead people to think twice before they let loose with caustic comments that are globally disseminated. Are there no standards of decency in the blogosphere? There should be.

hesucks Says:
February 25, 2008 at 1:54 pm
i think it's time for your to rename this site 'BLOODONMYHANDS.COM'

90DayJane is a personal art piece about me. It was meant for me and
(what I ignorantly thought would be) a small number of people who
might find it on BlogSpot. It is the result of me tapping into the
darkest part of myself and seeing where it led.
What I have written and filmed, at its core, is from a place of truth.
I am the girl in the videos. I have great disappointment with my
generation and its obvious obsession with celebrity culture rather
than their fellow man, thus the former Chuck Palahniuk reference.
I wanted this blog to be about personal discovery and truth. But the
correspondences I have received have taught me more about those
qualities than I could ever express. 90DayJane has become its own
entity and has influenced me. In fact, it has changed my perspective
as a human being.
I feel a massive sense of responsibility to my art, but more
importantly the readers of this blog. My closeness to this project
must have made art seem like reality to many people. That is not a
reaction that I expected nor can I morally justify. This is why my
project, 90DayJane, will be taken down in the next few hours.
90DayJane was meant to mirror the tragic figure, Christine Chubbuck.
Newscaster Christine Chubbuck committed suicide in 1974 by shooting
herself in the head live on air. She was very vocal about her
depression to those around her and gave every indication of her exact
intentions leading up to the event. Sadly, no one reacted or helped
Christine and those left behind could only ask "why".
Her story both inspired and terrified me because I can truly empathize
with her rage and even her isolation. I wondered how Christine's life
and subsequent suicide would play out in our time. Would the internet
be yet another place of isolation to her or an escape? If she remained
vocal about her intentions would anyone bother asking "why" or even
noticing before the fact? Would the reaction (if any) of the public
change her intentions?
I thought this mirror might reflect the isolation everyday people feel
and the lack of true human connection on the internet.
It is my feeling that the internet is the best and worst example of
human interaction. This was painfully proven to me by reading every
comment and every email. I believe I owed that to everyone. I know we
all saw the dark side of the reactions in the blog comments. There was
so much hate, immaturity and apathy. But, I truly wish everyone could
see the beauty and honesty in the emails; many people feel like Jane
(me). People have been more real and heartfelt than I thought was
possible. I owe them a debt of gratitude for showing me the difference
between people's reactions and their true feelings. I understand.
I do want everyone to know that I accepted no money for 90DayJane
despite multiple offers from television, film, books, etc... I will
not release my identity and I ask not to be contacted for any type of
promotion. I want only for the people who wrote to me to know that I
hear them and feel the same way. Your emails touched me so much.
Please, share your thoughts with someone in your life or express them
in a positive way.

To everyone, please reach out to those around you. It's much harder to
ask for help than to offer it.

In the video above I created a PostSecret revealing this project for
what it is. I am in no way affiliated with them, but their site does
great work for suicide outreach. At any rate, PostSecret gives me both
strength and perspective whenever I read it. I hope it does the same
for you.

thx- 90DayJane

The version on her blog is disabled, but here's the updated video of 90 Day Jane in the changing room:

Day 85 is the requisite "Maybe I'll quit this blog" post, but yesterday she's back to witticisms. She tells about a Valentine's Day admirer and says, "I just hope he's not looking for anything long-term."

The quality of Jane's writing means two things: First, she's interesting enough to override online suicide fatigue (one Digg user wrote, "How popular is this online suicide shit getting? Just the other day some gay kid slit his wrists live on [live video site] Stickam").

Second, maybe she's fake, though this would be a poor choice of art project given the chance that it gets shut down. Even if she's real, the blog will impede her; Google could track down her IP address, or someone could identify her. Meanwhile she'll get a lot of attention during the countdown. Her story should hit Fark in a few minutes.

Like I mentioned, live online suicide is an old tradition. Camgirl Stacy Pershall made Wired News in 2001 with her second on-air attempt. A boy who drugged himself while on a chat room left his last words, "I told u I was hardcore." People watching London's first webcam suicide weren't charged with any crime for goading him.

But Jane hasn't promised any live suicide. The show is her 90-day thought process. So it's okay to watch, right?

• Newsroom stressors? "Meeting newspaper deadlines, pressure to produce good work, low pay, media competition, long hours, implementing new technology, and conflict between work and family." Seriously? Seriously.
• If you're under 35, you're more stressed out than the old-timer down the hall. By "old-timer," we mean anyone over 35.
• "It’s incredibly stressful trying to write well all the time," said one of the 20-something respondents quoted in the study. Girl, do what we do and just settle for being horribly flawed. Way less hassle.
• 62% of you are pretty damn sure your decision to be a journalist might have been a great big ginormous mistake.
• You're unmotivated, disillusioned and disappointed. Also "tired of being stuck indoors." I do like to think sunlight misses me as much as I miss sunlight.
• Photogs are happiest, copy editors unhappiest. Shutter-happy open-air freaks.
• To reiterate: please don't kill yourself, we cannot have that. It would be hard to blame you. But please don't! Suicide is not cool.

"While journalists might continue to forge forward despite workload, deadlines and salary issues, they will not stand by as the foundation of journalism crumbles beneath them. At that point, they will quit," the study concludes. Hey! Anyone want to start a rock band or a truffle farm with me? Clips not required.

She is playing like a child And penance is the play, Fantastical and wild Because the end of day Shows her that some one soon Will come from the house, and say Though play is but half done "Come in and leave the play.

The first posthumous post reprinted a ghost story Dick Cavett shared on his New York Times blog. It's called Basil Rathbone's Ghosts, and its story of communication from the great beyond ("Moments after Rathbone's friend is killed in a car accident along with his beloved hunting dogs, the actor receives a phone call from a psychic who says she's received a ghostly message. 'Traveling very fast. No time to say good-bye. There are no dogs here.'") is a clear, if not quite obvious metaphor for Duncan's own updates from that great Starbucks in the sky.

The second, and presumably final post, reprints the fifth stanza of T.S. Eliot's "East Coker." About the "20 wasted years" and the impossibility of communication in this nutty world and the whole thing is depressingly MySpacey for a spooky art star suicide note (it also gives a bit of credence to the "lordy, lordy, look who cannot handle turning 40" theory of her motivation). The final lines of the poem (not quoted by Duncan): "Of the petrel and the porpoise. In my end is my beginning."

When we go, we'd like our last post to just be a crying-face emoticon.

Dead Woman Blogging [10ZenMonkeys]
The Wit of the Staircase

Our buildings are tall and we have a large number of bridges, so it's natural that "jumping from a height is more common in New York than in the rest of the United States," as a report from the New York Academy of Medicine says.

In the rest of the country, people tend to do kill themselves in the privacy of their own homes, but as usual, New York attracts the attention-seeking and the egotistical, and then crushes their narcissistic dreams by forcing them to confront the oppressive anonymity of their own insignificance. Or something. That helpful and macabre graphic from the News explains it much better.

Some 'tourists' choose city landmarks for suicide [NYDN]

The story site Common Ties has been publishing personal stories on a wide range of topics since October 2006 and will begin posting audio stories in August 2007. Among its themes, Common Ties is seeking stories about suicide. Stories are due by July 10 and selections will be made on July 12.

While suicide tends to be a taboo subject, chances are you know someone who has attempted it, even if you do not know of the attempt. In the US, for example, nearly 3 percent of the population has attempted suicide. In 2004, 32,000 people in the US actually killed themselves, 80 percent of whom were male. Worldwide, one million people commit suicide every year.

We are looking for any stories about suicide, whether they focus on someone pondering it, attempting it, or actually committing it. Stories can be written using your byline or a pen name.

Seeking Suicide Stories [Craigslist]

I just read your item about Al Goldstein saying he has enough Ambien to kill himself ...

Having tried this myself several times (with vodka, with other drugs) and failed (what I took just put me into the ER for a stomach flush and some activated carbon, and the suggestion to seek psychiatric help ... duh), I think people like Goldstein and me need to know:

Just how much Ambien does it take to kill someone, based on age and weight? I'm sure it would do the trick, but I've researched it on the Web and have failed to find anything.

I'm out of Ambien, by the way ... my cache was taken away from me by a person who cares but who apparently has no idea about why anyone would want to do this. I'm sure Goldstein has no idea, either.

So, what's the lethal dose???

Earlier: Al Goldstein Off the Lithium, Cunnilingus

I heard this on WFAN at about 1 a.m. A guy called up the show and said that Joe Beningo (a WFAN host) was on Nancy Grace and she was trying to get him to say that Corey Lidle's plane crash was no accident and that it was suicide.

The Suicide Question Re Corey Lidle [NYO]

Earlier: Cory Lidle Plane Crash: Morning Roundup, Plane Crash: 'Post' Just Can't Resist