#MeToo suicide: Mexico rocker Armando Vega Gil kills himself in a ‘radical declaration of innocence’ after woman makes sexual harassment claim anonymously on Twitter
- An anonymous woman posted a complaint on Twitter saying Armando Vega Gil had sexually harassed her when she was 13
- Musician denied the accusation, and said he wished to spare his son from ‘suffering the effects of this false accusation against me’
A Mexican rock star was found dead after tweeting that he planned to kill himself in a “radical declaration of innocence” after being accused of sexual harassment by the country’s #MeToo movement.
Armando Vega Gil, 63, the bassist for veteran rock band Botellita de Jerez (Little Bottle of Sherry), died early Monday, the group said on Twitter.
A prosecution source confirmed Vega had been found dead at his Mexico City home, speaking on condition of anonymity because she was not authorised to discuss the investigation.
Vega’s death poured new fuel on a fiery debate over #MeToo in Mexico. The movement has triggered a flood of sexual assault accusations against journalists, academics, writers and others in the cultural sphere in recent weeks.
Vega posted a note on Twitter soon before his death saying he was taking his own life in reaction to an anonymous accusation that he sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl more than a decade ago.
The accusation was made the previous night on the Twitter account @MeTooMusicaMX, part of Mexico’s nascent but increasingly powerful #MeToo movement.