"This is a reference work covering 840 suicides initially reported in Daily Variety but also drawing attention from mainstream media. The people are from vaudeville, film, theatre, dance, music, literature (film writers), and other fields, 1905 through 2000. Accidentally self-inflicted deaths are omitted, except for a few controversial cases.".

"The suicides of well-known personalities such as actress Peg Entwistle, the only person ever to commit suicide by jumping from the top of the Hollywood sign, Marilyn Monroe and Dorothy Dandridge, believed to have overdosed on drugs, and Richard Farnsworth and Brian Keith, who shot themselves to end the misery of cancer, are among the entries. Also mentioned in less detail are the suicides of lesser-known entertainment figures.".

"Each entry covers the person's personal and professional background, method of suicide, and place of burial, and in some instances includes statements taken from a suicide note."--BOOK JACKET.