Jill Janus’ Suicide Leads To ‘Raise Your Horns’ Mental Health Awareness Movement

Jill Janus, the lead singer of the heavy metal band Huntress, died by suicide on Aug. 14 at the age of 43, a post on the band’s Facebook page confirmed Thursday.

“It is with crushed hearts that we announce that Jill Janus — frontwoman for the California heavy metal band Huntress — passed away on Tuesday, August. 14,” the band wrote. “A long-time sufferer of mental illness, she took her own life outside of Portland, Oregon,” the post said.

The singer’s publicist Alexandra Greenberg said Janus had long struggled with mental illness. The Facebook post also urged people with suicidal tendencies to reach out for help.

“Beyond her accomplishments in the music world and her advocacy for mental health issues, she was a beautiful person passionate about her family, animal rescue and the world of natural medicine. She will be missed more than she could have ever known,” the post added. “If you or someone you know might be at risk of suicide, Call 1-800-273-8255 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. It provides free and confidential support 24 hours a day, seven days a week for people in suicidal crisis or distress.”

As soon as the news of her death went public, several personalities from the music industry, who knew Janus, began posting messages of condolences on social media.

One of the strongest tributes came from singer and songwriter Lizzy Hale, who posted a picture of herself with Janus on Instagram with an extensive caption accompanying it.

“Jill was very open about her struggles with mental health and addiction. Now, more than ever, spanning across Every age group, the suicide rate is extremely high. I’d like to take a moment to state again how important it is to talk about mental health, and remind all of you out there battling demons that you are not alone,” Hale wrote.

In a tribute to Janus, Hale also started the hash tag “Raise Your Horns” on Twitter to urge anyone who has struggled with mental health issues to come out in the open.

Within just a few hours, the movement began gaining momentum on social media, with people from all over the world tweeting out selfies with the devil horn sign.

Apart from Hale, Janus’ former Huntress bandmate, Casey Wood, also shared his grief on Facebook.

“I’m in shock and can’t stop crying. My ex-band mate singer has left the world. She was the biggest sweetheart and I hope that her Legacy lives on as it should!” he wrote. “You were supposed to be on your way back here Jill Janus. I love you I miss you, and my door is still open for you always. Rest in peace my sister.”

Janus, who was known for her powerful opera-like vocals, openly spoke about the mental health issues she suffered from, including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, in an interview with Revolver Magazine in 2015.

"I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder first, when I was 20. I started to show signs of it when I was 13, though, and I struggled with it through high school," she revealed. "But it started to get dangerous in my early teens. ... I was suicidal constantly. I was very suicidal early on in my life. Then in my mid-twenties, it shifted to full-blown mania, where I can't really remember much of my twenties."