Meek was obsessed with the
occult and the idea of "the other side". He would set up tape machines in graveyards in a vain attempt to record voices from beyond the grave. In particular, he had an obssession with
Buddy Holly and other dead rock and roll musicians.
His efforts were often hindered by his
paranoia (Meek was convinced that
Decca Records would put hidden microphones behind his wallpaper in order to steal his ideas), drug use and attacks of rage or
depression. He had been charged with "importuning for immoral purposes" in
1963 and his then-illegal
homosexuality put him under further pressure.
On
February 3,
1967, the eighth anniversary of
Buddy Holly's death, Meek killed his landlady and then himself with a single barreled shotgun that he had confiscated from
Heinz Burt at his Holloway Road home/studio. Meek had flown into a rage and taken it from Burt when he informed Meek that he used it while on tour, to shoot animals. Meek had kept it under his bed, along with the shells. As the gun had been registered to Burt, he was questioned intensively by police, before being eliminated from their enquiries. A
blue plaque has since been placed at the location of the studio to commemorate Meek's life and work.