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Jonathan Brandis' Apparent Suicide
Sarah Hall
Actor Jonathan Brandis, who began his television and film career as a
child, died November 12, the victim of an apparent suicide. He was 27.
Brandis was best known for his portrayal of crewmember Lucas Wolenczek on two
seasons of Steven Spielberg's underwater sci-fi series, SeaQuest DSV, for which
he won a 1993 Young Artists Award, catapulting him to teen idol status.
The actor got his start at age six, when he landed a recurring role on the soap
One Life to Live and appeared in numerous commercials. He moved to Los Angeles
with his family at age nine, and made guest appearances on shows such as Murder
She Wrote and Who's the Boss?
Brandis earned his first starring film role in 1990's The Neverending Story II:
The Next Chapter. He went on to appear in 1992's Ladybugs with Rodney
Dangerfield and more recently in the Farrelly Brother's Outside Providence in
1999.
Police said a friend of Brandis' called 911 from his apartment just before
midnight on November 11 to report that the actor had attempted suicide by
hanging. Paramedics rushed him to the hospital but he died the next day.
Paul Peterson, president of A Minor Consideration, an organization that deals
with issues affecting child actors, released a statement expressing his sorrow
over Brandis' death.
"We are left with a sense of helplessness and perhaps even anger that this
thoroughly unexpected death occurred when we have spent years developing
resources to deal with any and all crisis situations," Peterson's statement
read. "This one hurts. What more can we say?"
The Los Angeles coroner's office performed an autopsy, but won't announce the
cause of death until Brandis' blood and toxicology results are returned, which
could take up to six weeks. However, according to Peterson, initial reports
showed no sign of drugs in Brandis' system.
"Speculations as to the underlying cause of this tragedy are exactly that:
speculations. It serves no purpose to leap to conclusions for none of us will
really know what led Jonathan to his decision to take his life," Peterson
stated.
Brandis reportedly left no suicide note. He was an only child, who is survived
by his parents, Greg and Mary Brandis.
http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,12971,00.html
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