Thanks to Amara for sending me this story about Malachi Ritscher (pictured), a 52-year-old activist who self-immolated on Nov. 3. He meant his suicide to stand as a political gesture, but there seems to be a question of whether his motivation for ending his life was partly due to depression. The Associated Press' Ashley M. Heher writes, "Mental health experts say virtually no suicides occur without some kind of a diagnosable mental illness. But Ritscher's family disagrees about whether he had severe mental problems." Whatever the cause, Ritscher clearly lived a life filled with passion and dedication to his beliefs.

He was also an active presence in Chicago's music scene, due in part to his website. Check out Peter Margasak's blog (linked below) to read a debate currently going on in the comments section about whether mental illness was the cause of Ritscher's suicide.

Activist's fiery death prompts questions [AP]

Malachi Ritscher's apparent suicide [Peter Margasak c/o Chicago Reader]