Founding Gin Blossoms guitarist Doug Hopkins was found dead by his own hand on December 5, 1993. Hopkins had suffered from depression and alcoholism and was receiving in-patient treatment when he shot himself with a .38 caliber pistol. Hopkins had formed the Gin Blossoms in 1988 with bandmates Bill Leen, Jesse Valenzuela and Philip Rhodes. The band’s rise to success took a toll on Hopkins, however, and he fell into deep depression and heavy drinking as their hit album “Hey Jealousy” rose to success. Though Hopkins had been ousted from the band due to his drinking habit in 1992, singer Valenzuela admits they would not have risen to prominence without his contributions:“The first record was really Doug. It’s a beautiful record and Doug was an intricate part of it,” Valenzuela admits in “The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars” by Jerry Simmonds.