Jill Janus, Singer of Rock Band Huntress, Commits Suicide

Jill Janus, the frontwoman for popular heavy metal band Huntress, was found dead on Tuesday, others in this group have confirmed.

She was 43 years old.

While details are still coming in regarding her passing, this is what band members wrote on Facebook last night as tragic confirmation of the news:

“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.

“A long-time sufferer of mental illness, she took her own life outside of Portland, Oregon.”

Continued this post:

“Janus spoke publicly about these challenges in hopes of guiding others to address and overcome their mental illness.”

Huntress were formed in 2009 and released its first album, Spell Eater, in 2012.

The band went on to release a further a pair of orther records as well, while supporting and opening at times for rock bands Motörhead and Lamb of God.

Best known for the singing gig described above with Huntress, Janus also sang for a handful of female metal cover bands over the years, including The Starbreakers and Chelsea Girls.

“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,” the Facebook message reads, concluding

“She will be missed more than she could have ever known.”

It is unclear at the moment just how Janus took her own life.

The artist was diagnosed with bipolar disease aged 20, telling Revolver magazine in 2015 that she struggled in high school after starting to show signs of this illness at 13 years old.

In response to this awful news, partner and Huntress member Blake Meahl paid tribute to Janus as follows yesterday:

“[We] spent 9 years together creating a home, having a family and building our passion project Huntress.

“The devastation of knowing I will never see her again is the most gutting emotion I have ever experienced. I hope you have found the peace that you couldn’t find on this planet.”

Added Lizzy Hale of Halestorm:

“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.

I have to navigate my own dark labyrinth and I turn to music and writing for my lifeline. I want to encourage you to keep searching for Your lifeline, something that makes You happy.

To Jill, My sister of scream, I hope wherever you are you have found the peace that you couldn’t here.

My deepest sympathy’s go out to Jill’s Family and her band Huntress during this time.

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.

View Slideshow: 32 Musicians Who Died Too Young

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The Vampire Diaries Season 7 Episode 12 Recap: Hello, Huntress!

Damon took quite a few hits on The Vampire Diaries Season 7 Episode 12.

We mean this literally.

Totally distraught over what he did to Elena last week, Damon set out to punish himself.

When we first saw the destroyed hero, he was lying in the middle of the street, just as he was when he met Elena way back in the day.

He then killed the poor pedestrian who stopped to see if Damon was okay… before heading to Mystic Grill and slicing off the head of one of Julian’s cronies.

Just as Julian was about to drive a stake through Damon’s heart, though, he realized the sort of pain his nemesis was in and decided on a different course of action instead:

Apparently Julian has been running some kind of underground fight club and he offered Damon the chance to punish himself mentally by getting punished physically.

And Damon was all for it!

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He disposed of his first couple foes, using a stake illegally tossed into the ring by a random hot waitress the second time, before it was time for him to take on Julian.

But just as Julian was about to kill Damon once and for all, Valerie swooped in with a spell that caused Julian a lot of pain and Stefan was able to drag Damon away to safety.

Once outside, though, Damon owned up to how he burned Elena alive and Stefan reacted by slugging his troubled brother a few times in the face. OUCH!

But this wasn’t it for either brother: 

Damon went home and was paid a visit by the aforementioned hot waitress. She brought tequila and a willingness to have sex.

Stefan, meanwhile, was finally sick and tired of Julian, blaming him for sending Damon into The Phoenix Stone and teaming with Valerie on a cloaking spell. She made him invisible to everyone else and then Stefan yanked out Julian’s heart.

Rest in peace, man. NOT!

Elsewhere this week:

• The pretty cop who tossed Matt in jail last week followed him to Mystic Falls and nearly got herself killed in the process. She now knows all about vampires.


• Caroline learned, the painful way, that her babies are syphoning her vampire power.


• Bonnie, Mary-Louise and Nora tracked The Huntress to a mental institute in Ohio after receiving postcards with an X on them, the signal that she was coming after all who had been stabbed with her sword.


• But they just found an old lady there, someone who at first lied about being the Huntress, but then told Bonnie the truth and was about to kill her…


• … when Enzo randomly showed up.


• After Bonnie left to find Mary-Louise and Nora, she returned to find that Enzo had stolen the Huntress away. To where?!?


• To some kind of chamber, where he burned her old body and where a younger version then appeared, still stuck behind glass.

But she clearly becomes UNstuck at some point because we ended the episode by flashing three years into the future and getting a look at her at the news station building, holding both Stefan and Damon hostage.

Where will this all go on The Vampire Diaries Season 7 Episode 13? We can’t wait to find out!