Timothy McCready, 53, of Richmond, Virginia, chose to end his life on February 13, 2026, after a lifelong struggle with mental illness. Tim tried every treatment he could find—traditional and experimental, mostly legal, sometimes not. Although he experienced a great deal of growth and healing over many years, the pain he carried was more than he could bear. In many ways, Tim died as he had learned to live: with intention, without shame, and with the clear-eyed courage that many of us knew him for.

A man of many talents, Tim was an artist to his core. He was known and admired for his music, most recently as the founder and frontman of the band Timothy Bailey and the Humans. He was also an accomplished furniture maker and a damn good writer. Most people who knew Tim understood that there wasn’t much he couldn’t do once he set his vast intellect and creative powers to work. Tim had a deep love for good things, most notably for dogs. He had a harder time with people, what with the variability of their goodness and all. He spent much of his life working to understand the nature of love, to learn to give it and to receive it. Like any project, he approached this one with seriousness, curiosity, and a dogged focus. He came to embrace his vulnerability in the face of love, and as he grew from the pursuit, he brought others along with him. In the end, one of Tim’s most important accomplishments was to become a person with a generous, if broken, heart and a great capacity to truly love and be loved.

Tim is survived by his sister’s children Natalie Duke and Juno Duke and his brother-in-law Hunter Duke, all of Richmond. He is also survived by a circle of friends with whom he shared mutual care, respect, and delight. Tim was preceded in death by his beloved sister Julie Duke and by his reciprocal emotional support animal Fuzzy McCready.

A service to honor Tim’s life will be held on Saturday, April 11, 2026, from 1:30 to 4:30pm at the Richmond Friends Meeting House, 4500 Kensington Avenue, Richmond, VA 23221. For parking info, click here.

Please consider making a donation in Tim’s memory to The Daily Planet or The National Alliance on Mental Illness – Central Virginia (NAMI CVA).