ou might think that clean-cut Canadian rocker and actor Keanu Reeves,
and shock rocker Marilyn Manson would have nothing in common.
Reeves is considered to be one of the nicest actors
in Hollywood while Manson is known for his dangerous and shocking reputation,
but they are linked by a great tragedy that shaped both of their lives.
Part of a painful chapter and neither of them would probably want to relive. On April 1, 2001,
Manson would host a party at his home, his friend Jennifer Syme assumed various quantities of an
illegal controlled substance allegedly given to her by Manson, shortly before morning, another
guest at the party gave her a ride home and for unknown reasons, she then got back into her
1999 Jeep Cherokee and crashed into three parked cars in Hollywood. Her body was thrown from her
vehicle and she would die at the scene. Toxicology tests found a combination of coke and prescribed
medication, some of which were used to treat seizures panic disorders and treat muscle spasms.
Syme’s mother Maria St. John would tell police that she was seeking treatment
for her back pain and depression, as well as that two rolled-up bills and a white powdery
substance were also found in our vehicle. Now we have to go six months earlier when
Syme’s had developed a stillborn daughter at eight months pregnant,
relying heavily on prescription pills to cope with the depression that followed.
So who was Jennifer Syme? Shortly after moving to Hollywood in the early 90s,
Syme landed a job as an assistant to director David Lynch. Following her death. Lynch even
dedicated his 2001 film Mulholland Drive to her. She would end up introducing Lynch
to Marilyn Manson which led to the two collaborating on the 1997 soundtrack for
Lynch's film Lost Highway and Madson would appear in the film, alongside his base Twiggy Ramirez.
Syme later went back work for a record label and was even the personal assistant for Dave
Navarro who was one of the pallbearers at her funeral. She was laid to rest in
Los Angeles at Westwood cemetery. Now the father of Jennifer's stillborn daughter,
Ava Archer was none other than Keanu Reeves. She met the actor at a party organized in his band
Dog Stars honour in 1998. Although the pair never married, they had a whirlwind romance
that ended a few weeks after their daughter passed away. And at the time of her death,
Reeves and her were reportedly estranged, but both Reeves and Madsen showed great remorse over
Jennifer's death. Reeve said in a 2006 interview with *Prayed magazine “Grief changes shape,
but it never ends, people have a misconception that you can deal with it in say it's gone and
I'm better, but they're wrong when the people you love are gone, you're alone.”
Reeves would go on to say in the same interview, “I miss being part of their
lives and then being part of mine. I wonder what the present would be like if they were here,
what we might have done together, I miss all the great things that will never be.”
In a statement to MTV shortly after Syme's death, Manson put out a statement saying,
“Words cannot express the pain that I feel over the loss of Jennifer Syme’s
life. After Jennifer was sent home safely with a designated driver. She later got behind the
wheel of her own car for reasons only known to her. Her death is both sad and tragic.”
Jennifer's mother Maria St. John would go on to sue Manson, claiming that he gave
her the drugs that led to Syme's death, and basically let her drive. He eventually was
found not guilty. And in a strange twist of fate two of Marilyn Manson songs are
featured on movie soundtracks which can who stars is song Rock is Dead is featured on the
1998 Matrix soundtrack, while his other song Killing Strangers is in John Wick.
It's unknown whether Reeves blames Manson for Syme's death,
as he never took legal action against him. Reeves would never get married or have another child,
and in 2017 during an interview with Esquire, he mentioned to the interviewer that now that
he's in his 50s, he's missed the boat for starting a family saying,
“it's too late. It's over. I'm 52, I'm not going to have any kids.”
So that does it for today's video, guys,
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