Brad Delp’s Demons Don’t Excuse What He Did
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Everyone blamed Boston frontman Brad Delp’s death on his bandmate, Tom Scholz, but Scholz cryptically said an extremely upsetting and embarrassing incident between Delp and a close friend was to blame. Not only was it true, it was so much worse than anyone imagined. Brad Delp was the frontman for the rock band Boston. He was also its fall guy. Plagued by infighting and personal demons, Delp met a tragic and controversial end.
Born on June 12th, 1951, in Massachusetts, Brad Delp grew up in Danvers to French-Canadian immigrant parents. Details about his childhood are hard to come by, but there were hints of the incredible talent that would make him a rock legend. In 1969, fate intervened in Delp’s life in a big way. Guitarist Barry Goudreau introduced Delp to Tom Scholz, who just so happened to be looking for a vocalist to record some demos. This meeting would not only ignite Delp’s career but also plant the seeds of a new sound that would change rock music forever.
After recording a six-song demo, Delp and Scholz sent tapes to every major record label, but success wouldn’t come easily. It seemed no one believed in their unique sound, and the duo received nothing but rejection after rejection. Little did these labels know, they were passing on what would become a legendary act. Delp and Scholz changed the name of their band from Mother’s Milk to Boston, and success soon followed. Epic Records signed the group, and they recorded their first album mostly in Scholz’s basement studio. Their eponymous debut album took them out of the basement and to new heights, selling over 17 million copies, making it one of the best-selling debut albums in US history. With unforgettable tracks and Delp’s signature voice, it was clear this band wasn’t just another passing fad.
Boston’s self-titled debut wasn’t just a commercial hit; it received critical acclaim too, earning a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. Meanwhile, singles like “More Than a Feeling” and “Peace of Mind” became instant classics, making Delp’s voice a defining sound of the era. Boston’s wildly successful debut saw them soar to a peak of number three on the Billboard 200, remaining on the charts for an astounding 132 weeks. With Delp leading the charge, it seemed like the band was poised to dominate the charts, if they could only get their act together. For exclusive perks like early access to new videos, priority replies to your comments, and to have your say on future content, consider becoming a Factinate member. On top of that, your support helps keep the channel going. Click the link in the description for more details.
The band took their time crafting a follow-up to their record-breaking debut. After multiple delays, they finally released their second album, “Don’t Look Back.” Immediately, the album topped the pop charts and earned double-platinum status. But ultimately, the record fell far short of the first album’s meteoric sales. During a tour break, Delp and a few of his Boston bandmates, excluding Scholz, collaborated with Sammy Hagar in the studio. Delp featured prominently on Hagar’s album “Street Machine” by singing on a cover of Otis Redding’s classic “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay.” But not everyone was happy about Delp’s side hustle.
After the “Don’t Look Back” tour, Scholz wanted to strike out on his own, similar to how Delp had. He agreed to produce Hagar’s next album, “Danger Zone,” but CBS had other plans. The label demanded that he abandon side projects and focus on finishing Boston’s third album. He was furious; Delp had been allowed to pursue other projects, but not Scholz. Tension was heating up within the band’s ranks. While fans eagerly awaited Boston’s third album, Scholz became locked in a court battle with ex-manager Paul Ahern. While all Delp wanted was to record more music, Scholz refused to let CBS or his former management dictate his creative process and vowed to take his time on the next Boston record. With Scholz effectively pushing his Boston bandmates to the side, Goudreau decided to record a solo project, enlisting Delp to contribute. The result was an album that offered fans a taste of Boston-like sounds without the whole band, but it only made tensions between Delp and Scholz worse. Something was going to give sooner or later.
While the infighting between Boston bandmates made headlines, Delp managed to keep the details of his personal life out of the news. While most sources claim that he was married twice, he never revealed much, if anything, about his first marriage. His second marriage, however, was full of drama. Delp and his second wife, Micki, tied the knot in 1980 and had two children together before their marriage ended in 1996. But there was more to their connection than marriage; the ties between Boston’s members ran deep. Micki’s sister, Connie, married Delp’s bandmate Goudreau. So, while Delp and Micki’s marriage ended in ’96, the links between their families persisted, adding another twist to Boston’s already complex dynamics.
The band was beginning to crack under the tension. Despite Delp’s involvement, Goudreau’s solo album failed to take off, peaking at number 88 on the charts. Worse yet, the album’s release heightened tensions between already tense band members. CBS marketed Goudreau’s solo outing featuring Delp as “almost Boston,” leaving Scholz to fume and ultimately pushing Goudreau out of the band for good. Delp remained, for now. Tension seemed to ease after Goudreau left the band, and recording on Boston’s third album finally began with Scholz taking over most of the instrumentation. Despite the delays, Delp appeared committed to Boston, lending his iconic voice to all the album’s vocals, ensuring it stayed true to the band‘s signature sound. But his heart simply wasn’t in it.
As recording dragged on, tensions within the group finally boiled over. Before the album was finished, the band’s drummer, Sib Hashian, was replaced. Then bassist Fran Sheehan followed suit. By the time that “Third Stage” came out in 1986, things were not looking good for the group. By November 1989, Delp had started working on Boston’s fourth album, though it wasn’t clear who exactly Boston was anymore. The band’s lineup had changed radically since their first incarnation. A dispute over royalties between Scholz and other members of the band brought the recording screeching to a halt once more and left Delp seeking other opportunities. With Scholz’s constant court battles over royalties tearing the band apart, Delp made an announcement that rocked the music world. The iconic lead vocalist officially declared that he would be taking a step back from Boston to focus on new projects—new projects with old friends.
In 1991, Delp joined former Boston bandmate Goudreau to form a new band called RTZ. Then Scholz asked him to record the vocals for Boston’s fourth album, “Walk On.” But bygones, it seemed, were not yet bygones. Delp gave Scholz the cold shoulder, saying he was too busy with RTZ to record the album. With Delp unavailable, Scholz turned to Fran Cosmo to complete the vocals for “Walk On.” Released in 1994, it marked the first Boston album without Delp as the primary singer. But Delp wasn’t so easily replaced; he rejoined Boston later that year, embarking on another successful tour with his old bandmates. It seemed like he could have the best of both worlds. Despite his side projects, Delp remained a vital part of Boston’s legacy. He recorded new tracks for their 1997 Greatest Hits compilation and lent his vocals to the band’s 2002 album “Corporate America.” But what he really craved was a band without the drama. Tired of the stress that came with Boston, Delp pursued a passion project of his own: a tribute band. As a lifelong mega-fan of The Beatles, Delp put together the tribute band Beatlejuice, performing with them from the 1990s until his final days.
On March 9th, 2007, Delp’s fiancée, Pamela Sullivan, called authorities after discovering a troubling scene at their home. Someone had connected a dryer vent tube to Delp’s car exhaust pipe. Once authorities arrived, they found a note taped to a door inside the garage leading them into the house. The chilling message marked the beginning of a heartbreaking discovery as authorities began to piece together what had happened. In another note, this time taped to a door at the top of the stairs, Delp left a dire warning for anyone approaching: there was carbon monoxide inside. As the authorities reached the top of the stairs, they made a terrible discovery: Delp’s lifeless body in the master bathroom. The troubled singer had lit two charcoal grills and placed them in the bathtub, filling the room with smoke until he simply drifted off. At least, that’s what everyone assumed. Authorities concluded that sometime between the night of March 8th and early afternoon on March 9th, 2007, Delp took his own life. The official medical reports concluded that Delp had died from carbon monoxide poisoning in his New Hampshire home.
To the outside world, Delp’s actions were inexplicable, but he left a clue as to his motivations. Clipped to the neck of his shirt, the frontman left a short but chilling message: “Mr. Brad Delp. J’ai une âme solitaire. I am a lonely soul.” The rest of the note was even more chilling and revealing; it expressed the depths of his despair: “I take complete and sole responsibility for my present situation. I have lost my desire to live.” He also left instructions for notifying his fiancée, Pamela Sullivan, who he said was unaware of his actions. In yet another note, Delp explained his foolproof plan to end his own life: Plan B was to asphyxiate himself in his car. The chilling admission underscored the depth of Delp’s secret struggle and his determination to end his life.
In sorting through the scene, authorities found four sealed letters in Delp’s office addressed to Sullivan, his children, their mother Micki, and an undisclosed couple. Authorities claimed to have never read the letters, making Delp’s final goodbyes one of the many lingering mysteries. In fact, it seemed only a few people really knew Delp at all. Sullivan revealed to the authorities that Delp had been depressed for some time and was often emotional and overly self-critical, but not even she could fathom the depths of his sadness. Despite his struggles, Delp had plans to marry Sullivan later that summer during a break in Boston’s tour. His decision to end his life left loved ones reeling, as it appeared to conflict with the hopeful future they had envisioned. The day after his death, Boston’s website went dark, replaced with a simple tribute.
On August 19th, 2007, the music world came together to honor Delp with a tribute concert held at the Bank of America Pavilion in Boston. It celebrated the life and legacy of a beloved rock icon, but it didn’t take long for the media to start pointing fingers of blame. The Boston Herald printed a story that suggested that Scholz was responsible for driving Delp to take his own life. In response, Scholz took the paper to court. As that court battle raged on, documents slowly began leaking out to the public, and they uncovered a messier and far more shocking set of revelations, painting a dramatic and heart-wrenching picture of Delp’s personal and professional struggles. According to testimony from former bandmate David Sikes, Delp had a tense relationship with Scholz. While that in and of itself was no big revelation, the depth of the animosity between the two was news to fans. Sikes revealed that Delp believed Scholz had taken advantage of him financially. Delp’s friend Joy Baker added to Sikes’s testimony, claiming that Delp felt paralyzed by fear and a lack of agency in his life, explaining why he never fought Scholz over royalties. Her testimony painted a picture of a man overwhelmed by years of personal and professional pressure.
However, Scholz had some shocking testimony of his own. He flatly denied the allegations that his relationship with Delp contributed to his downfall. Instead, he pointed to a different cause. Scholz referenced an extremely upsetting and embarrassing incident involving Delp and a close friend, which he claimed was the true trigger for Delp’s tragic decision. At the time of his passing, Delp had been engaged to Pamela Sullivan, but curiously, he’d been living with Sullivan’s sister, Meg, for over two years. While most assumed that Delp and Meg were just friends, a shocking revelation soon cast doubt on the nature of their relationship. Meg Sullivan described Delp as her best friend, which made the discovery she was about to make all the more devastating. Hidden in her bedroom, Meg found a battery-operated camera—one that, shockingly, Delp later admitted to planting. The incident became a troubling and revealing chapter in Delp’s final days.
Meg Sullivan and her boyfriend Todd confronted him after discovering the hidden camera. Emails revealed that Delp was deeply apologetic and remorseful, expressing his regret for crossing a line with someone he considered a close friend. In the emails, Delp revealed that his fiancée Pamela Sullivan had had an affair the previous summer that had left him emotionally devastated. The incident contributed to his fragile mental state and may have influenced his uncharacteristic actions during that tumultuous period. Up until the court case, Delp’s fiancée Sullivan was unaware of the camera incident. Meg’s boyfriend Todd had encouraged Delp to tell her, writing, “It’s because of Meg’s regard for you that she has given you this opportunity to tell Pam yourself.” With that ultimatum on his doorstep, it looks like Delp made his final decision. He promised to tell Sullivan what he’d done, asking the couple for a few days to gather himself. However, during that time, Delp purchased the charcoal grills he used to end his life, taking his guilt with him to his grave.
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