Among those who knew and loved his music, the news spread quickly Wednesday across campus and across the country. Singer-songwriter-genius Elliott Smith had committed suicide at 34. There was no middle ground with Smith’s music; people either worshiped it, or had never heard it.

Smith, who was best known for the soundtrack to “Good Will Hunting,” will be remembered to most musicians and music lovers in the same way Jeff Buckley is remembered. Songs like “Miss Misery” and “Everything Reminds Me of Her” are anthems of melancholy and depression. Unfortunately, they were all too representative of Smith’s own tortured life, one spotted with drug abuse, depression and alienation.

If only Smith had realized the impact he had made on the lives of so many adolescents, he might still be alive today. Instead, the young who sought out his music as a source of solace in times of pain are now faced with the horrifying fact that he found none of the comfort he provided to others. Smith’s unique voice, brilliant lyrics and moving melodies have been silenced. The mourning is just beginning.

–Yale Daily News