Johnny Depp - a Survivor, and a Hero

Johnny Depp—actor, musician and humanitarian extraordinaire—is a powerful force who never stops evolving. He is just as relevant today as he was back when Edward Scissorhands hit the silver screen and people really saw what this "pretty boy" could do. Having broken out of the mold of formula, teen magazines, and 21 Jump Street, which of course gave him his start, Johnny made his own way after Edward Scissorhands's success. Since then, he has never stopped. Like Alice Cooper, he is yet another Energizer Bunny. Whether it's a new movie, a tour with the Hollywood Vampires, or a turn onstage playing guitar with a band he's friends with... Johnny Depp just keeps going. You can't keep a good man down.

Even if I've never met him in person, I have always felt a connection with Johnny that is familiar. It's as though we have known each other for years. Lately, when I'm not visiting my family or doing some kind of work, I am turning to Johnny for personal strength. Whether it's watching movies like Alice: Through the Looking Glass, or going to see Hollywood Vampires in concert, I am always brought back to what's real. The truth is all that matters. The rest is just gravy at best—a sort of mental "cancer" at worst.

It has not been an easy time lately. I'm going through the change of life. I'm wrapping up a divorce and my financial, mental, emotional and physical health is a mess. I've had to confront a lot of personal problems within, and am well aware I'm barely at the starting point. I'm not giving up any time soon. I am taking my time trying to sort through all the mud and cobwebs to find the brightest lights of my life, and to expand on that light best I can.

I had just barely gotten settled in back in at the house I co-own with my soon-to-be ex-husband, since financial problems have come to this living arrangement. Fortunately, we are friends, having come through the worst of the marital drama. This was in April of this year, and at this same time, family crises began to pile on. My father, who had been battling Alzheimers, was placed in the hospital after a particularly bad episode. He was placed in a rest home where he was to live and be cared for the rest of his life. However, it turned out to be more of a nightmare than a solution. My mom took him back home, only to end up taking him to the hospital about a month later. This time it was pneumonia. On June 25, my father died of complications as the doctors realized they couldn't give him enough oxygen toward the end.

In May, I learned that my sister, who had battled Her2 Breast Cancer in 2015, had to deal with its ugly head being reared again, in her lungs and liver. She is getting good treatment thus far. The chemo she's getting is not as brutal as other chemo treatments. She's been holding up as well as she can under these circumstances.

We have always been close. Whether we were hanging out, going places, talking, laughing, fighting, slamming down the phone and not speaking to each other now and then? We always know the other one is there and that always brings us back together. There was always something reminding us of those road trips we spent laughing and listening to whatever music was appropriate for the mood. Indigo Girls, Leonard Cohen, Cat Stevens, 10,000 Maniacs, David Bowie... who knew what would end up in that CD player at any given point? All I know is we've always had a bond that would never break no matter what might have happened. Some ties just can't be broken, and when all is said and done, would we really want to break it? No. I love my sister. She's been with me through some wild times, happy, sad and in between. She was the Maid of Honor at my wedding. She's seen me through everything.

With my dad, it was very similar, sans the loud music. He didn't like music being played too loud, but he and I had a lot of similar tastes, regardless. I think my dad was more of a rock and roller than he let on most of the time, maybe even a closet AC/DC fan. One time he and I danced at one of my cousins' wedding to AC/DC's "For Those About To Rock, We Salute You." He had a blast, and if you saw him you'd know he was loving that song. He even did some air guitar moves when he thought I wasn't paying attention! He also attended a funeral I held for a cat, who saw my sister and I through puberty and much of adulthood. My dad always seemed to "get me," sometimes even more than my sister does, which says a lot. He always used to say aloud what I was thinking before I even said it! At first it used to drive me nuts, but I learned later it was a gift. He cared about me probably more than I knew at my darkest points. I don't think this feeling of being some lost kid in a supermarket wondering where Dad is, will fade away any time soon.

I may not be able to call Johnny Depp and offer support from a fellow survivor of a parent death, but I can certainly send love over the waves. As many know, he lost his mother Betty Sue Palmer to cancer on May 20th, 2016. Johnny has, for years, stood alongside scientists, doctors, and the like, who are working to find a cure for cancer, donating his time and money whenever he can. He visits children who are battling cancer in hospitals as his iconic Pirates of the Carabbean character, Captain Jack Sparrow. He does this as much for the parents as for the kids themselves, as he knows how parents are feeling seeing their kids face mortality at such a young age. Johnny Depp spent two weeks at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London when his daughter Lily Rose was sick with E-Coli. She was seven. The doctors got her through it, and she is thriving today. After she came home from Great Ormond Street in 2007, Johnny Depp donated $1.5 million to that hospital.

At the end of 2016, Johnny received the Rhonda's Kiss award, for his many donations to cancer foundations and time spent visiting and offering support and encouragement to patients, family, friends and cancer researchers. Also in 2016, Johnny gave his time and talents to a movie created by young Anthony Conti, a fourth-stage cancer patient, for the Make a Film Foundation. Conti left this world on January 29th, 2017 at the age of 16, but not before his dream was made into a reality.

One thing about mortality, it certainly puts on the back burner anything else that is petty or less urgent. Unless, of course, a global issue is brought up that brings even sympathy for the loss of a loved one to a screeching halt.

It started when the news of not only Betty Sue's death, but the divorce filing of Amber Heard, Johnny's wife of fifteen months emerged on May 25th 2016. There was an instant outpouring of support for Johnny, not only from his fans on social media, but the regular media press as well.

Amber Heard received a lot of backlash for filing for divorce a mere three days after Johnny's mother died. Many, even journalists, said that it was beyond cold and uncaring to do something like that. However, it was obvious that the marriage could not have been happy despite Amber's attempts to prove otherwise up until May, 2016. Following the news of the divorce filing, reports came out claiming that Johnny's family had never seen eye to eye with Heard. Then, something happened that completely turned what might have been a "bye, Amber, we hardly knew ya" letter from the public into what is still today an almost obsessive singing of her praises. To say that she wanted it this way and knew exactly how to go about making it happen, is not far-fetched any more than it is misogynistic. Read the earlier reports about even a hint of negative press about Amber Heard, and how she handled all of it. She is one famous person who just can't let it roll off her back when someone talks badly about her. She is always ready to jump in and "set the record straight." I think even Trump has a stronger stomach for bad press than Amber Heard ever did!

On May 27th, 2016, Amber went to court and obtained a temporary restraining order, claiming Domestic Abuse by Johnny Depp. Abuse that had apparently started before they'd gotten married in 2015. (Amber and Johnny first went public with their relationship in 2012 but didn't get legally married until 2015.)

I've written on this many times, so any MeToo people just chiming in to my writings, don't close the window yet. As of this writing, the Daily Mirror just printed this article where Johnny Depp is now speaking out on what really happened.

This is why I refuse to just blindly "believe all women."

Johnny Depp refused to comment on the abuse allegations, since, after all, he had a lot on his mind. However, he did have to deal with the accusations and gather all the evidence he could in order to prove his innocence. Once the news hit the internet, all sympathy for Johnny regarding his mother's long, drawn out battle with cancer and final death was forgotten by many in the press. Again, Domestic Violence is too important an issue for even that to have relevance. Yes, even if the man accused just might actually be innocent.

Based on the evidence from both sides of Amber Heard's abuse allegations, her claims wereproven false right from the beginning.One article clarifies this.

These are not just "ear witnesses," though, like iO Tillett Wright, Racquel Paddington and the Mandel Brothers of TMG. Jerry Judge and Sean Bett were, based on their report, actual eye-witnesses to Amber being the violent one. Recently, Johnny Depp began a lawsuit on The Sun, a tabloid magazine that published an article branding him a wife-beater and slamming JK Rowling for backing him in her movies. Johnny is fighting back now, and who knows where it will go but something tells me that even if he proves Amber to be a liar this will not be hushed or "let go" despite many people screaming for that to happen. According to the latest reports, Johnny Depp asked Jerry Judge and Sean Bett to come with him while he went to retrieve some things from the condo he was sharing with Amber. This was on May 21st, 2016, the infamous "iPhone" incident. According to the article, Johnny asked Judge and Bett to come because he "was concerned about what Ms. Heard would do."

Regardless of reports of obvious plot-holes in Heard's account, including the Instagram picture that was deleted by the account user, but not before it surfaced and is still viral, most of the regular media grabbed onto the idea of Depp as an abuser like a bulldog grabs something in his teeth. Even after the divorce was finalized in January 2017, it had now been a two-year witch hunt on Johnny Depp. Amber dropped all her charges against him with prejudice. They both signed a joint statement that served as an NDA. Johnny agreed to pay spousal support of seven million dollars, which Amber pledged to donate to charity. After the emergence of MeToo last year and their #BelieveWomen hashtag, Amber Heard's allegations resurfaced in the media and social media. Articles slamming Johnny Depp, his supporters and anyone who would hire and/or work with him still continue to this day. The divorce is over. Amber's own words were "I want my life back." Surely she should realize that we all want our lives back, and are tired of hearing this same old argument about why Johnny Depp is still employed. Anyone with any kind of compassion should let this go. He was not found guilty. Give Johnny Depp HIS life back and let him keep working, spending time with his kids, and doing the philanthropic work he's always done to help others less fortunate than himself.

I am not a believer in automatically assuming women lie, despite popular opinion by many MeToo followers regarding those who support Johnny Depp. I'm a woman, and I won't deny that I've had my share of abuse in various and sundry relationships. I don't just blindly stand by my heroes, no matter who they are. Bill Cosby inspired me while growing up. "Fat Albert" was one of my favorite cartoons. However, the evidence against him was way too strong to ignore. Similarly, Woody Allen was also a staple of my childhood. My family always sat around the living room on Saturday nights when "Annie Hall" and other hilarious movies of Allen's, would be featured on television. When I listened to Dylan Farrow's account of Woody Allen's sexual assault of her at age seven, I was devastated, but I had to admit, she really sounded sincere. Why would she lie, when she was a kid back then, about her own experience? Even the photos with her and Allen in public had Dylan at seven looking troubled and pensive. Not happy to be there with her father. Before I watched Dylan's interview on CBS, I watched Woody Allen's interview with 60 minutes. He denied sexually assaulting Dylan, but what struck me was his inability to look Steve Kroft in the face while talking about it. Time will tell, I suppose, who is telling the truth... but I can't at least not give Dylan the benefit of the doubt, at least for the time being. Even despite what Woody Allen claimed regarding Mia Farrow, which did indeed sound like she abused him mentally and physically. There are so many layers to sides of stories, and this is why we as humans need to KNOW enough about what happened to form an educated opinion.

This is why, when the allegations against Johnny Depp came out in 2016, I researched it to death. I wouldn't have spoken out against Amber Heard, ever, if I didn't feel certain, based on all public evidence from both sides, that Johnny was falsely accused. He is, hard as it is for many to swallow, an innocent man thrown under the bus, all in the name of the #believewomen hashtag movement.

Again, Amber dropped her charges against Johnny with prejudice, meaning she can never re-file them. Depp was never proven guilty, and we were not supposed to hear any more on this matter, thanks to the NDA. However, the whole thing seems to have had a ripple effect for Depp. Many problems since then were reported. It started with the lawsuit between Johnny and his ex-financial managers, the Mandel Brothers of The Management Group (TMG). These guys claimed to be "fully aware" of Depp's alleged abuse of Heard, but like so many others, it was just hearsay on their end. Now that the TMG battle is over, however, Johnny Depp isn't done with the courts.

A report came out about Johnny attacking a crew member during the shooting of his movie LAbyrinth (the movie has been retitled "City of Lies," and is expected to come out in September of this year). The director of the movie debunked the story, but it still gives Amber Heard's defenders cause to hurl mud at Johnny yet again. Earlier, we learned in the news that Johnny's former bodyguards are suing him for various and sundry "bad experiences on the job," as paraphrased from the reports. It seems like Johnny seldom gets a break, and when he does, something always surfaces that paints more negative light on him.

The question is, what are we believing when we believe Johnny Depp is an abusive person? What is really going on behind the scenes? A woman says he hit her and now a report about him punching a crew member and that guy suing Depp now, seems to "vindicate" Amber Heard and her supporters. No matter what, it all comes down to "believe women." Who believes the women who contradicted Amber's story? Who believes the women who had to have had some close encounter with their marriage even if they didn't see each other every day? Women like Lily Rose Depp, who defended her father twice on Instagram, the second time by posting a screenshot of the LAPD report of the 911 call on May 21st. "No evidence of a crime." Lily Rose knew more about her father's marriage to Heard than even her mother did, but there was Vanessa Paradis saying on May 27th that this "doesn't look like the man with whom she'd spent fourteen wonderful years."

Why do MeToo activists keep up this witch hunt on Johnny Depp when there are so many men who are actually guilty, and might even still be out there abusing women? Furthermore, who does it help when the result is, many women, as well as innocent men, get hurt? Why would JK Rowling be so verbally trashed on Twitter and other media sites, for backing a man "based on her understanding of the circumstances?" Can we really overlook the fact that the NDA prevents anyone PUBLICLY presenting direct proof of Johnny's innocence? We may "feel" unfinished with this since no DIRECT verdict was given saying, "Amber Heard lied, Johnny is innocent," but doesn't the result still speak for itself? Is anyone going to actually acknowledge, in their diehard fight to boycott Johnny Depp, that AMBER HEARD DROPPED THE CHARGES WITH PREJUDICE?

Why would an abuse survivor do something like that and still be revered as a domestic violence awareness advocate? How can this absurdity continue to be overlooked?

It may be a situation that could lose to politics for a bit longer, but the truth tellers, including myself, can't and won't stop talking. Johnny will not be blacklisted from Hollywood and Amber Heard might continue to win "Woman of the Year," for whatever reason, either in Australia or anywhere else. The social justice warriors on Heard's side may have to keep chasing their tails when all this comes to the light. Johnny's lawsuit against the Sun is just beginning and the result may change or damage MeToo forever, depending on how one looks at it. Personally, I think MeToo, as Johnny once said about America in 2004, has a lot of growing up to do. I hope it can survive this storm. I hope the truth can penetrate MeToo enough to change its tactic from "believe women" to "discern the truth with no one left behind." Bottom line, I hope everyone can stand together against ABUSE, regardless of what gender it comes from. Sexual assault, Domestic Violence, even rape, is not limited to just women as its victims! Men and boys can be victims of all of this, just ask Corey Feldman.

Johnny Depp has sailed through all this bad press with a brave smile on his face that definitely masks deep pain. He did and is still doing what he needs to do to take care of himself. He has put his nose to the grindstone and gone to work. He's spent time with his kids and other family/friends in the interim, and still does. Alice Cooper was the most recent person to defend Johnny from any and all bad press against him. Cooper's exact words can be found in this interview.

I draw on the integrity of people like Alice, Doug Stanhope, the Deppheads4Life of which I am a part, and AutumnOnVenus, a YouTube creator. Elle Rose, who runs the channel, gathered a ton of information to prove Johnny Depp is a survivor of abuse by Amber Heard. I try to stay positive and think about great, progressive people like this, as well as Johnny and his own strength. I have to think about what really matters, especially now. Sometimes petty gossip can be ignored but when it's this big, we have to speak out against the lies. Truth is stronger than fallacy, and if we want to rid the world of abuse, hate, pain and lies that are a sort of cancer in and of themselves? There can be no enforced time frame on talking about things just because they were supposed to be over two years ago. We can't afford to shy away from ALL aspects of this conversation. Amber Heard is not helping women, she is abusing them, just as she abused her husband Johnny, and earlier her wife, Tasya Von Ree.Johnny Depp is not an abuser. He is a survivor of abuse, both emotional, physical and overall, narcissistic. Amber gaslighted Johnny by accusing him of doing what she had been doing all along.

Johnny Depp survived it, got out just in the nick of time, and is now fighting back. He's thriving today, and it shows. Right now, he is one of my sources of real strength.

When my sister told me of her illness, she was dealing with a lot of fatigue and needed time to integrate. She was still getting her head around it. I also needed to process this news as I wanted to be as strong as I could for her. One of the ways I processed was to keep the plans I'd made in January of this year. I'd booked a motel stay in Bethlehem, PA from May 20 to May 22. Johnny Depp was playing with the Hollywood Vampires on Monday, May 21 at the Sands Casino. I felt that seeing him and the band, feeling his in the room and in the music, would help me center myself. Boy did it ever!

Hollywood Vampires specializes in tributes to musicians who died, largely of substance abuse. Alice Cooper is the only one who survived his group of friends from the 60's and 70's who drank all night at the Rainbow in L.A., earning the name, "Hollywood Vampires." Alice has lived sober for years but never forgets his friends Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Harry Neilson and so many more. However, when David Bowie died of cancer in January of 2016, Alice included him on the list of people the band paid homage to. In 2016, they performed covers of "Rebel Rebel" and "Suffragette City." This year, however, they have included "Heroes," a song Bowie made popular in 1977.

"We are all villains," Alice said onstage while introducing the song, "but this song is about a hero!"

The last thing I expected to see and hear was Johnny Depp sing this song. He has always been incredibly shy about singing, although he did do a stellar job as the title character in the movie Sweeney Todd. Johnny's soaring voice as he handled both the low and high-key parts of "Heroes" was epic. There were times he almost sounded like Bowie himself! I think even Bowie might have agreed with that, had he lived to hear it.

"Heroes" describes a couple who are riddled with problems from the outside world. However, it is also synonymous with Johnny Depp's story, especially the negative nancies still going after him in the media. These words are chillingly ironic!

"Though nothing will drive them away,we can beat them just for one day!We can be heroes, just for one day! What'cha say?"

- DAVID BOWIE, "Heroes."

Johnny Depp is a survivor of, not only abuse, defamation and misrepresentation, but also serious tragedy and hardships. However, he keeps his head high and doesn't succumb to the negativity. The wonderful blessings in his life far outweigh the negative things. His children are living proof of what a great father he is. His daughter Lily Rose is thriving in her career. Meanwhile, Johnny's son Jack, short for John Christopher Depp III, is keeping a low profile but it's clear even from paparazzi photos that he is not an unhappy kid. He and his sister have a good life and are loved they by both their parents. Johnny's successes in movies, from Edward Scissorhands to Pirates and beyond, go unsurpassed. His musical abilities inspired Joe Perry, Johnny's first guitar hero to ask him for guitar LESSONS. Johnny Depp is living his original dream of traveling with a band and playing guitar onstage.

Johnny Depp will always be a source of strength to me, and to millions of others. Johnny is a survivor. Johnny is a hero.

"We can be heroes, forever and ever."

Johnny Depp Thanks Supporters for Standing By Him as he accepts the People's Choice Award in 2017.