On two separate occasions, Ozzy Osbourne's song "Suicide Solution" has been blamed for influencing teens to take their own lives. The first incident was one in which the teenager, John McCollom, was found dead listening to the album "Blizzard of Oz." The case went to court and ruled in favor of Osbourne's right to freedom of speech. The case primarily focused on an instrumental break in the song that allegedly says "get the gun, shoot." According to Osbourne, the song is about drinking yourself to death. This can be evident through the lyrics "wine is fine, but whiskey's quicker; suicide is slow with liquor."
The Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado, resulted in the deaths of 12 students and one teacher. The shooters, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, were said to have been influenced by heavy metal music, with an emphasis on Marilyn Manson. There was no evidence in this case to link his music to the shooting, besides knowing that the two shooters were fans of his music. Marilyn Manson wrote a response to the allegations in Rolling Stone magazine a month later. In the article, he gives reasons the public is looking to him as a scapegoat. He also explains meanings and misinterpretations of some of his songs.
Judas Priest went to court in 1990 for allegations that the group's music caused the suicide attempt of two men in 1985. Similar to the Osbourne case, this case focused on claims that subliminal messages in the band's album "Stained Class" caused the two men to form a suicide pact. The difference in this case is that the two men attempted suicide, but one man survived. James Vance had disfigured his face from the suicide attempt. He later made statements that alcohol and heavy metal music led to his suicide attempt. The suit was later dismissed.
In 2008, the music of My Chemical Romance was linked to the suicide of a 13-year-old fan. Hannah Bond had considered My Chemical Romance to be her favorite band and advertised on the band's message board that she was going to hang herself. The band falls under the genre of Emo, which is linked with dark clothing and wrist cutting. For that reason, My Chemical Romance has been called a "suicide cult band." The band responded to the allegations by stating the band's position has always been anti-violence and anti-suicide.