The gay owner of a Key West tanning salon who suffered mental illness and financial problems has taken his own life and blamed President Obama's re-election, reports the AP and Keys News.
A police detective found 64-year-old Henry Smith Hamilton Jr., owner of Duval Square Tropical Tan, dead at 11:55 a.m. Thursday in his La Brisa condominium on South Roosevelt Boulevard.
Officers found him on his back in the middle of his bed, his left arm flung across his face. Found on his bathroom sink was a copy of his living will on which was handwritten, "Do not revive! Fuck Obama!" according to police reports. Hamilton had been distressed about his business and "very upset" with the outcome of the Nov. 6 presidential election, his partner told police. "If Barack gets re-elected, I'm not going to be around," Hamilton had said, according to his partner of 11 years, Michael Cossey, who spoke to police.
A detective found three prescription bottles in the dining room: one empty bottle for 1 milligram Alprazolams, one empty bottle for 150 milligram Seroquels and another bottle for 50-milligram Seroquels that still had pills inside, reports say.
Seroquel is an antipsychotic medication for the treatment of schizophrenia. Alprazolam is prescribed to treat anxiety disorders
Hamilton was a "well-known" gay business owner on the island, reports JoeMyGod. "The Key West LGBT Chamber of Commerce confirmed to me by phone that Hamilton had been a member."
Many of the 1000+ comments on the article at CBS/Tampa Bay's website are Tea Party vitriol. But one comment asks the obvious question on the mental competence and business strategy behind opening a tanning salon on a tropical and gay-friendly island: "Also missing from the story? The man operated a tanning business in Key West, Florida. Also left out: I understand it was actually his second venture; his first, a business that sold ice cubes to Eskimos, also, strangely, went belly up."
It's tragic and unfortunate that Hamilton's financial problems, business failure and right-wing political conspiracy theories were at least partially fueled by his own mental disorders. "Unfortunately and somewhat ironically," notes one JMG commenter. "This may really be a story about someone not getting the quality health care they very much needed."
If only he'd waited a little while longer he could have had those two bottles of medication for FREE ...
Posted by: JSP | 15 November 2012 at 11:15
yet another right wing crazy who blames obama for their own delusions and psychosis.
Posted by: Tmv | 15 November 2012 at 11:22
Just imagine our nation if ALL of the people who DID NOT vote for President Obama felt it best not to live in a world where indeed Barack Obama were President of the USA as voted by the voters of our nation.
Posted by: Kerq | 15 November 2012 at 16:57
He is a really lucky man OBAMA....
Posted by: Online Diploma | 16 November 2012 at 04:48
The white man who runs a TANNING salon has a problem with a naturally tan president? HAHAHAHA.
(in my best Yosemite Sam voice)
Goodbye you fool idiot galloot!
Posted by: evil kinevil | 16 November 2012 at 17:23
I have an issue with this article.......While Obama is not to blame for anyone killing themselves I find it a bit presumptuous that this man didn't have valid points about Obama as a small business owner and find the not so subtle knocks at his business savvy a bit tacky (especially given the circumstances). I pass a tanning salon on every corner in Los Angeles (people would rather do that to avoid the UV rays from the sun)Outdoor tanning is completely unpredictable on the amount of UV rays that reach your skin, while indoor tanning percisely controls the amount of UV rays reaching your skin.........and MANY small business owners even those who voted Obama in office have voiced concern over their fate under his tenure NOT just "right wingers" or conservatives. I get that the country is polarized right now but to further polarize us by politicizing a mans death is totally distasteful. I would have much rather preferrd the tone pf this to have been more 'lets come together as a country to make it better so things like this do not occur and people don't feel so helpless" etc...but whatever, it is what it is.
Posted by: Ron | 19 November 2012 at 13:26
@Ron: Sounds like you probably need to create your own blog or website, no?
It's really adorable that you complain about the "not so subtle knocks at his business savvy" and "small business owners" voicing concern over Obama. But you neglected to mention that "savvy" business owner was very much in debt, a diagnosed schizophrenic and was prescribed antipsychotic meds. Maybe those conditions contributed to the man's depression?
In any event, it was this man's decision to take his life. Clearly he was disturbed and irrational if he killed himself and "blamed" Obama's re-election.
Posted by: Former COGIC | 20 November 2012 at 11:23