Level 42's Rowland 'Boon' Gould took his own life Published duration 5 December 2019

image copyright Level 42 image caption Boon Gould was found dead at a friend's home

A founding member of 1980s pop group Level 42 took his own life, a coroner has ruled.

Rowland Gould, known as Boon, was found dead at a friend's home in Uffculme, Devon, on 30 April.

He had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and told doctors he had suffered from depression all his life, his inquest heard.

The inquest heard Mr Gould, 64, was a talented musician and had been the guitarist in the band.

image copyright Lynn Goldsmith/Getty Images image caption Boon Gould (left) remained in Level 42 until 1987

Deborah Archer, assistant coroner in Exeter, said: "Boon had a difficult and complex history which I find adversely affected his mental health.

"He had coped with these issues sometimes without being completely open and honest with family and friends about the degree of suffering that he was going through."

The coroner said Mr Gould tried different types of therapy but did not find anything that consistently worked for him.

She said this was likely to be due to his "wish not to trouble others and the deep-seated nature of his problems, coupled with a tendency to self-medicate".

image copyright Brian Rasic/Getty Images image caption Boon Gould played the guitar for Level 42

Moira Gould said her husband had been open about his mental health problems during their 17-year marriage.

"He talked about how exhausting it was to be him," she said.

Dr Clare Matthews, his family doctor, said: "He became a successful rock guitarist and led a lifestyle characterised as heavy drinking, cocaine abuse and mental health problems which ultimately led to him retiring from the music business."

The band had a number of hits including Lessons In Love and Running In The Family.

After his death, Mr Gould's brother and fellow band member Phil Gould wrote that his heart was "beyond broken".

Level 42 vocalist Mark King described Mr Gould as a "dear friend and brother".