Didn't know where to post this so thought I'd put it here...watching TV is sort of a hobby I suppose. There are about 4 television shows the wife and I make it a point to watch. Rizzoli and Isles one of them. We were watching it tonight and at the end they dedicated the show to Lee Thompson Young, the actor who plays detective Frost on the show. Apparently he committed suicide today. 29 years old... So sad. Every time I hear of something like this I have to wonder what could be so bad to prompt such action.
It's funny how you get attached to people on these shows. My wife is really taking his hard, causing me to dwell on it, perhaps more than I might. I can't help but to think of what this guys family is going through. I have counseled with families after a loved one committed suicide. It is one of the hardest things for the survivors to deal with. Just had to say something...you poor folks were handy.
So sad. There was an article in today's paper about him.
"To most, the news of Lee Thompson Young's death on Tuesday came as a complete shock. But sources close to the late actor exclusively tell E! News he had suffered from depression for some time leading up to his apparent suicide.
The "Rizzoli & Isles" star, who was 29 at the time of his death, "didn't drink or party," says a source, adding, "He was the opposite. Lee loved to travel and was always the first to tell everyone to take a breath and enjoy the beauty of life." He was always "gentle and unassuming," despite his early success, and didn't have the typical "look-at-me" attitude.
That said, those close to Young noticed things "really changed" a few years ago when he began practicing Yoruba, an Africa-based religion that has a saying, "iku ya j'esin," meaning "death is preferable to ignominy." Some have questioned whether this means that suicide is an acceptable way to preserve personal or family honor in the face of public shame.
However, Yoruba culture icon and chief priest of Osogbo, Araba Ifayemi Osundagbonu Elebuibon, told the National Mirror earlier this year that the religion "[does] not support suicide. Their belief is that if somebody commits suicide, they will be punished in the hereafter."
The "Famous Jett Jackson" star "took [his religion] to the next level and started wearing white all of the time," says a source, adding, "This religion was everything to him." Although he reportedly took a break from practicing Yoruba, he recently returned to the religion. Just before his death, he visited a small village in Africa for something reportedly related to the religion.
As for Young's family? A source notes that he was close with his mother and sister, but relatives were worried his close friends no longer lived in LA, leaving him surrounded mostly by "industry types."
