Forgive the long ramble, but...
In a way, I think Luke's reaction encompasses a lot of what most of us probably felt when we heard the news. The fact that Luke's just now learning--it's still pretty raw, obviously. I don't fault him for feeling some anger--that's always going to be a part of the equation when trying to sort out something so tragic and unexplained.
I had a lot of confusion and sadness when I heard about Brad, and chose music as an outlet to try to sort of diffuse it a bit. I think it was especially hard for me, because I have had depression issues myself from time to time, and seeing someone so beloved make the decision to end things just left me feeling pretty hopeless.
I remember the day I learned Brad's death was a suicide, my wife and I were in the car with our new baby, and I played, "More Than a Feeling" off my iPod. I just remember sobbing, saying out loud over and over again, "Why does it have to be sad??" Meaning, why could a song that brought me so much joy for most of my life have to be tarnished this way? I have a sister named Marianne (not the same sister I recorded this for), and that song (MTAF) always makes me smile and think of her. She was probably in high school when it came out.
I'm sure his family and friends are still grappling with what happened and why, so I wouldn't expect me, someone who only knew him through his music, to resolve that question with any kind of satisfaction. But at some point, you have to put the pain behind you and celebrate the life and the music. That's what I'm trying to do.
-Mike