Bob Birch - Death

Death

In 1995, Birch suffered from a tragic car accident in which he was hit by a pick-up truck while walking the streets of Montreal with band mates. Being thrown over twenty feet in this crush accident, he severely broke both his legs as well his back. The doctors initially told him that he would never walk again, but within six months he was back on tour with Elton John, and continued to do so for the next 17 years. He suffered throughout those years with constant headaches, dizziness, vertigo, and severe pain throughout his body. During that time he saw hundreds of physicians, but nothing could reverse the damage which was already done. On his final tour before his death, Birch was forced to sit every show because of the pain he was enduring, most recently because of a fall he had taken at the beginning of the tour. During the two weeks leading up to his death, Birch struggled with severe gastrointestinal issues while losing 23 pounds and suffering from extreme insomnia. On August 15, 2012, Birch apparently could not live on in his desperate state. He died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 56. The autopsy revealed an amount of damage and scar tissue through his back and neck which is usually only seen in those who are crippled.