The brother of the late Frightened Rabbit singer Scott Hutchinson has paid tribute to him in an emotional post, five years on from his tragic death.
Scott took his own life in May 2018 after a long battle with depression. He had led Frightened Rabbit from small venues in Glasgow to become one of the country's most respected and successful bands.
And today, which marks five years since he passed away, Scott's brother and bandmate Grant shared a photo of him on his Instagram page and paid tribute to him.
The singer urged others to 'hug your loved ones' and also said that he's frustrated by the lack of vital care and support out there for people with 'the same illness that killed Scott'.
Grant penned: "This is my beautiful brother Scott. Five years ago today he lost his battle with depression. I watched for years as it slowly picked away at the cracks leaving an exposed and vulnerable human carrying a burden of pain that eventually became too heavy.
"And although I’ve somehow been lucky enough to avoid the same illness up until now I can tell you for sure that it’s real, it’s relentless and it knows no bounds."
He added: "On this day each year I always try and write something positive about how wonderful Scott was and what an incredible talent we lost and those feelings are right there but they come alongside frustration and anger. I’m frustrated at the lack of vital care and support out there for people with the same illness that killed Scott. I’m tired of reading about people who have made the same final decision as him and we don’t ask “Why?”
"I have always told myself that in the end Scott could not be helped. He’d gone too far. The depression had spread in to every cell in his body and his final act was the only cure. That may be true but that doesn’t mean mental health should be ignored. We are underestimating it. We are underfunding it. And we are misunderstanding it. Every day people are literally killing themselves. Take a moment to actually think about that. Real people are making the decision that no life is better than the life they have. I just can’t accept that as a part of being born a human."
Grant then went on to urge others to do what they can for mental health charity Tiny Changes which was set up by Scott's family in 2019. 'Tiny Changes' was named after a lyric from track 'Heads Roll Off', where Scott sings "while I'm alive I'll make tiny changes to earth".
According to their website, the charity hopes to "advance understanding of the root causes of mental ill health and support innovation in the design and delivery of mental health services to children and young people."
He said: "There is definitely not one ultimate solution here but it’s clear we’re missing something and it’s absolutely vital that we don’t give up on trying to figure this out. There are many wonderful people and organisations out there doing everything they can to fight this and if you have a spare minute or a spare few quid then head over to @tinychanges and see how to get involved. Volunteer, donate or even just read the About Us section if that’s what your brain will allow today.
"My daughters are lucky enough that they’ll still grow up with the sound of their uncle’s voice and the amazing legacy he left. But a song will never replace a hug and I’d give all that back to see him wrap his arms around my kids. Hug your loved ones. I miss you H x."
You can read more about Tiny Changes here.
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