Crazy P lead singer Danielle Moore took her own life amid struggles with perimenopause and the exhaustion of a “hectic work schedule”, an inquest heard.
The widely respected and loved Mancunian music icon died after being struck by a train in Birmingham at around 4pm on 30 August last year. She was 52.
At the conclusion of the inquest, her family issued a statement paying tribute to Danielle, describing her as ‘the image of human kindness and generosity of spirit’. The statement said the family was still ‘reeling from her loss’ and added that they wanted to raise awareness of the impact the perimenopause can have on women’s mental health.
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Danielle, born in Radcliffe, Bury, was due to celebrate her eighth wedding anniversary on the weekend after she died, Birmingham Coroner’s Court heard today (16 January). In the hours before her death, she had done laundry, contacted her tour manager to confirm guest lists for an upcoming gig and, unusually, bought a bottle of whiskey from a nearby shop.
Danielle’s family described her as ‘the image of human kindness and generosity of spirit’ -Credit:Instagram/@ladydrivermoore
The inquest heard how Danielle, who split her time between homes in Todmorden and Birmingham, had struggled with the “double whammy” of the Covid-19 pandemic, which cancelled her work as a musician, along with the onset of perimenopause. When work returned after the lockdown, she was busier than ever with gigs across Europe and worldwide, leaving her ‘burned out’ and ‘exhausted’, her husband James Ensell told the court. Danielle, a step-mum to her partner’s children, had a history of mental health struggles, with previous suicide attempts dating back to the late 90s and 2010, the inquest was told.
She had started Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) – a treatment that helps relieve symptoms of menopause – but due to her busy work schedule, she was unable to ‘optimise the benefits’ and her husband found a three month supply after her death.
Recording a conclusion of suicide and her cause of death as multiple injuries, Area Coroner James Bennett told her family and friends: “I have been a coroner for a long time but cases like this still upset me. I’m really sorry for your loss, what happened is truly awful.”
A missing person’s report was filed when husband James failed to hear from her all day.
He felt “something wasn’t right” and returned home from work to find the “door wide open.” Mr Ensell, who had been with Danielle for ten years, said: “She was a remarkable woman and a genuinely unique example of the human race. She was uncanny, intuitive and had compassion for others. She had a razor sharp wit that could sometimes be mischievous. She was immensely fun to be around, but she was very self depreciating and humble.
Crazy P’s Danielle Moore took her own life amid struggles with perimenopause and the exhaustion of a “hectic work schedule”, an inquest heard -Credit:John Myers
“When things began to open up her schedule was more intense than it ever had been. Her work schedule didn’t comply with the HRT, she didn’t get close to optimising the benefits of that. The summer months were punishing. She was performing around Europe and the world.
“It was three weeks before she died that she told me she was exhausted. Her schedule was utterly exhausting. Two weeks before she died she was searching for ‘symptoms of burnout’ and ‘what to do if you’re burned out,'” he added.
She believed she was suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder, the court heard, but she was not diagnosed with any mental health condition at the time of her death.
Her final gig with the band Crazy P was at the Lost Village in Lincolnshire. Mr Ensell added: “She got back home and we met and had a right laugh together, she seemed on great form. When I asked her about her Lost Village gig she seemed unusually critical about her performance.”
On the week of her death, she had travelled to Birmingham as her husband had work there. He recalled: “I needed to work in Birmingham for the rest of the week, she insisted she would travel down as she wanted us to be together. She had a 30 minute conversation with a therapist in Edgbaston on the Tuesday.
Danielle’s work schedule was said to be exhausting -Credit:Getty Images
“We ate what would be our final meal together and talked about the future, our campervan adventures and we watched some TV which she fell asleep to, on the sofa. She said how tired she was.”
The pair had been planning to spend Monday and Tuesday together for their anniversary, with James keen to finish up work ready for his days off.
Recalling the day of her death, he continued: “I decided to work and left Danielle for what would be the final time around 9am. Every day I would get a call or text off Danielle, this day I received no call or no message.
“I hadn’t heard from Danielle, I tried to call her and she didn’t pick up. I was aware she hadn’t tried to call me back. I had a feeling something wasn’t right. I came back and the door was left wide open. She had done laundry which was hanging outside, her Macbook and phone were left neatly on the dining room table.”
A close friend, Rebecca, told the inquest Danielle had been a “kind, loving and loyal friend” with a “quick wit and humour.” Paying tribute, she said: “She is already incredibly missed. Her career gave her the ability to travel and she was grateful for that opportunity. She felt incredibly lucky to have the career and lifestyle she had. She was inspirational to many.”
She described her career as a “hectic work environment and schedule.”
Mr Bennett concluded her perimenopausal symptoms had a ‘more than minimal impact’ on her mental health.
The band Crazy P with Danielle Moore (centre) -Credit:SHARED CONTENT UNIT
He said: “Danielle died at around 4pm on August 30 having purposely placed herself in front of a moving train. In 2010 she had attempted to end her life and was treated briefly for anxiety in 2017. More recently, it was recognised she had low mood, against a background of exhaustion of working as a musician and symptoms of perimenopause.
“The day before her death she contacted a private therapist. On the morning of her death, she made searches online. Her actions were otherwise unexpected. I conclude Danielle’s death was the consequence of suicide.”
Danielle’s family, in their statement, said: “The coroner has reached a conclusion of suicide in respect of Danielle’s death. Although this conclusion was expected, it is still confronting. We are still reeling from her loss and cannot comprehend that she is gone.
“Whilst we will never understand why Danielle took her life, we know that how she died bears no relation to who she was in life.”
The statement went on to say that Danielle ‘cared deeply about the well-being of others and the world in which she lived’.
Danielle’s family said they ‘cannot comprehend that she is gone’ -Credit:Jonathan Myers
It went on: “She was pained by social injustice and the impact of consumerism. She was an empath, instinctively compassionate and loyal, nurturing the truest of connections with the people in her life. The image of human kindness and generosity of spirit.”
The family also used the statement to emphasise that Danielle would ‘never have wanted her outcome for anyone else’.
It added: “She overcame two periods of significant mental ill-health in the distant past and was so grateful that she did. With support and treatment, Danielle came through what had seemed, at those times, to be intolerable and wanted to keep on living.
“We would like to take this opportunity to highlight the prevalence of neurological and psychiatric symptoms during the perimenopause, something which is well known within the scientific community, but little talked about outside it. They say that to be forewarned is to be forearmed, so if any good can come from Danielle’s death, perhaps it will be increased awareness and understanding of the impact that the perimenopause can have on women’s mental health.”
Crazy P were formed in 1995 by friends Chris Todd and Jim Baron, who met at the University of Nottingham. Danielle joined the band as vocalist in 2002 and became a favourite with audiences thanks to her voice and charismatic stage presence.
The band went on to record seven albums together – gaining fans around the world with their blend of disco, soul and house music. Danielle, who would later become a DJ too, has previously told how she fell in love with dancing and electronic music first on the dancefloor at The Haçienda and then at nights across Manchester – especially Electric Chair.
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