R.I.P. Bill Chinnock

I've been told it's a sad experience when someone you know commits suicide, as someone who hadn't had someone close to me do such a thing, I hadn't known what it felt like, imagine my surprise when while reading the most recent issue of Rolling Stone Magazine I come upon the Obituary of one Bill Chinnock. Now some of you may ask who this is and why I feel something for him. I actually knew Bill, in fact he helped through a tough time in my life. It was on my mission in Yarmouth Maine, I was there for a 6 week period and it was by far the worst 6 weeks of my mission. I was with an awful companion and things just were not looking up. Bill had been meeting with the missionaries for about 5 months before I got there. Bill had been living in Yarmouth since 1974. I looked forward to seeing him and I got to talk with him about 10 times during that 6 week period, he was a surprisingly upbeat man who was going through Lyme Disease. Bill Chinnock fronted an early incarnation of the E Street Band, this band became famous when teaming with Bruce Springsteen. Bill also had put out 11 solo albums, he was working on either his 10th or 11th when I met him. He showed me pictures of his days touring, he played on stage with The Doobie Brothers, he had many conversations and a couple of pictures of himself with Jimi Hendrix. This guy had done some cool stuff in his day. He showed me around his studio and we would talk of the music business of life and of Maine. He had told us that his interest in the Gospel wasn't all that pressing but he enjoyed our company. He even invited us to come and see an outdoor concert he was performing for the Yarmouth Clam Festival in the summer of 03. We were given permission and went and it was a blast. I remember one such meeting with Bill in which I had been particularly down on my situation, my companion hadn't allowed us to do much of anything for a couple of days so it was really nice to be able to go to Bill's home. He invited us into the back yard where I played Badmitton with him and two children from the neighboring home. I told him of my desires to enter the music business in some form or another and he told me to go for it, to take a hold of your dreams and never let go. The thing that impressed me was that even though he was in terrible pain from Lyme Disease he was still happy to come out to his backyard and play some Badmittion with me and the children next door. He was a great inspiration to me in my 6 weeks while there. I hadn't kept up with him past that as my departure from the area was very surprising and so I didn't have a chance to go by and say goodbye. I had hoped that when I finally was able to head back out to Maine that I might be able to stop in and say hello but it looks like that oppurtunity has past.

It's a bit hard knowing that he commited suicide but I also know he had been in a horrible amount of physical pain for the past 8 years and he must have finally given up on it. It saddens me but it is also a relief to hear of his passing. I doubt Bill would have remembered me had I sent him a letter, but I still considered him to be a great man and a good friend to me though he didn't know me that well. I'm glad to have known him before his passing and I wish his family luck. Thank you Bill, for helping me out and being there.

Article on Chinnock's passing
Bill Chinnock's Personal Website