Rocker Robb Nash says he's been given 793 suicide notes by fans

Anti-suicide crusader visits Woodroffe High School Canadian rocker Robb Nash visits town with a powerful concert that changes teens' lives. CTV's Stefan Keyes reports.

A Canadian rocker who survived a near-death experience and struggled with mental health as a result is using his talent to send a message louder than his music to at-risk youth.

Robb Nash was severely injured in a head-on collision on a Manitoba highway when he was 17 years old. He wasn’t breathing and didn’t have a pulse when he was found at the scene of the crash. He suffered a shattered skull and underwent major surgery. As he recovered from the accident, Nash said he wrestled with suicidal thoughts.

It wasn’t until he found music and started the successful band Live on Arrival, that he began to heal.

“I was hit by a semi-truck, found dead on arrival and as you can tell, I came back to life,” he told CTV Ottawa on Tuesday.

These days, the Manitoba frontman of his new band Robb Nash shares his story by performing to vulnerable youth in schools, reservations and detention centres across Canada. The concerts are usually an hour long and include guest presentations from experts and people with stories of their own.

One of those guest presenters, Ottawa City Councillor Allan Hubley, lost his son Jamie to death by suicide in 2011.

“I wish there was something like that [Nash’s concert] for my son when he was around,” Hubley said. “It could have made a difference.”

In the six years he’s been touring, Nash said he’s been given 793 suicide notes from young audience members affected by his message. He’s also received pill bottles, razor blades and notes with suicide pacts in them from friends struggling together.

In honour of these youth, Nash has tattooed many of their names on his arms and printed them on his tour bus.

“I wanted to be able to show people, ‘Look you’re not alone,’’ he explained. “These are all people that once had those thoughts too.”

With a report from CTV Ottawa’s Stefan Keyes