The Death of Elliott Smith
Did the musician who wrote songs for the ‘sad kids’ kill himself, or was he murdered?
Elliott Smith was launched into the spotlight after his involvement in the 1997 Oscar-winner Good Will Hunting, but he didn’t enjoy the sudden fame he experienced. In an interview with Elizabeth Blair in 2000, Smith explained his disregard for the fanfare.
“I was pretty happy before all that [performing at the Academy Awards], I was going on tour and making records. It was kind of fun in a way, and it was really kind of weird in a way. It doesn’t mean anything, you know. It’s not a particularly musical environment.”
Elliott Smith’s death would become a conspiracy for the ages, with many claiming he was murdered and others believing he killed himself, but was there more to it than reported?
The music maker
Born in 1969 in Omaha, Nebraska, Smith was raised in Texas and later Portland, Oregon. At ten, Smith had received piano lessons and was self-taught on the guitar, which helped him create the music he became known for.
