[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Travis Barker has been secretly coping with the lack of his former enterprise accomplice over the previous yr after he took his personal life.
In case you didn’t know, streetwear designer Johan “Yo” Esbensen based the California-based clothes model Rogue Standing/DTA in 2005 and later introduced on the Blink-182 drummer as an investor and accomplice. Whereas the enterprise shut down at one level, Travis ended up bringing again the DTA title – which stands for Don’t Belief Anybody – for a document label he created in December 2019. Nevertheless, he did so with out Johan by his aspect. Oof. Now, The Solar revealed on Wednesday that the style designer sadly died by suicide at 45 final yr — one thing, associates shared with the outlet , that utterly shocked Travis although they seemingly weren’t shut anymore.
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And whereas it sounds just like the pair had been on the outs over the enterprise, Johan’s mother Cattis Esbensen fired again on the declare to the outlet that the failure of their firm was what led to his dying. She stated:
“It was not a enterprise factor. That wasn’t even on the high of his checklist. He gave me like 10 causes in his journal that he wrote about and that was not it. Let’s speak about psychological sickness. Let’s speak about a lifetime of not feeling like you slot in with the remainder of the world, such as you had been out of step with the remainder of the world. Let’s speak about a failed relationship. I wish to encourage folks to succeed in out and don’t flip your backs on folks. I’d urge anybody to hunt assist in the event that they really feel that they’ve a necessity for psychological well being counseling.”
Though Cattis shut down that the enterprise had something to do together with his dying, the 70-year-old famous that Johan and Travis had been not shut after her son was not concerned within the new enterprise of DTA. She defined:
“Johan moved again to Canada in 2019. He left LA and that entire scene in all probability in round 2014. He couldn’t abdomen LA. (After that) he didn’t have something to do with Travis Barker. He lived in Ojai for some time and due to different circumstances, he determined to return to Canada. I don’t wish to say something about the way in which it went down.”
She continued:
“I simply know that that relationship and that friendship type of glided by the wayside. Perhaps they nonetheless had some contact, however I doubt it very a lot. I believe Travis’s life went in a really completely different route than my son’s. The oomph of DTA disappeared when my son left DTA.”
Regardless of nonetheless grieving her son’s dying, Cattis burdened she was not “offended” with him and simply misses him on a regular basis:
“I’m not offended with him, I miss him, however he did what he wanted to do to fulfil his life. He left me an enormous, lengthy journal, so I do know why he did issues the way in which he did.”
One other shut good friend, Buttsy Butler, believed a latest breakup had “affected him greater than something business-wise.” In the meantime, a style business insider who had been closed to Johan additionally informed The Solar his dying agreed with Cattis that it was a “end result of numerous issues” that led to his dying, including:
“DTA initially was one of many coolest streetwear manufacturers on this planet. However as soon as the corporate partnered with Travis the main target shifted extra into quantity. The agency was promoting at huge field shops after which the 2008 financial crash occurred. The massive field shops weren’t shopping for as a lot. On high of that, the corporate had misplaced its core market as a result of followers accused it of promoting out to the institution. And Yo additionally had private issues. He ended up transferring again to Canada.”
The good friend claimed Johan was dwelling on a ranch and dealing as a carpenter for some time, whereas Cattis claimed he was a development employee. The pal went on to say:
“I spoke to him a few weeks earlier than he died and he was speaking about transferring again to LA. After which it occurred.”
So, so unhappy…
Although Travis and Johan had been estranged on the time, little question this should have been exhausting for the 46-year-old musician as he already went via an immense tragedy when he was concerned in a 2008 plane crash that left him severely injured and killed 4 folks. Lower than a yr after the accident, his greatest good friend Adam “DJ AM” Goldstein – who had been injured within the crash – handed away from an overdose.
Our hearts exit to Travis and Johan’s love ones as they proceed to mourn this loss.
Should you or somebody you already know is contemplating suicide, please contact the Nationwide Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), textual content “STRENGTH” to the Disaster Textual content Line at 741-741, or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
[Image via WENN]