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Not too long ago, a friend took his own life in a very public way. I read the news story and was shocked to find out the anonymous man in the story was a friend.
Tonight is his virtual memorial. I am mentally preparing for it now.
It is incredibly sad. He was an extremely talented actor. People saw him in national commercials, on movie screens, and off-broadway. He was also a good friend to many of us in college.
Opportunity was opening for him. Very famous people took him under their wing. I remember one telling me he was, â...destined to be the next Marlon Brando.â
Mental illness is insidious and he began to show signs of it, which were unnoticed for a long time. Hey, actors can be odd. He lost his gig in an off-broadway show. He blamed the theater company, saying they were,âlike a cult.â
He got a recurring roles in two national commercial spots. One he shot 4 commercials. The other replaced him after his first shoot.
He agent dumped him. One friend after another would call and tell me if a strange conversation they had with him. His agent said he was difficult.
After trying to be accepted for several years, he sabotaged his final audition for the Actors Studio by performing a monologue instead of the scene they requested. He argued with them at the final audition.
He disappeared from social media. He moved home. One day he signed back on only to send crazy and cruel messages to his friends. He burned lots of bridges, personally and professionally.
Four of us, me included, received a kind letter instead. Iâll remember that.
I donât know if I have a point to this thread. Iâm just sad. Iâm sad for his mom. Iâm sad for his family. Iâm sad for the people that didnât get to know him before he went dark.
Some of you may know who Iâm talking about. You likely may not have been aware that his mental illness was a battle he was fighting, Schizophrenia paired with depression. You may still hold a grudge because he treated so many of us cruelly at times.
He was not his mental illness. Just know that that bad behavior wasnât him. Please remember the joker, the hugger, the goof, the talent, and most of all the bright smile he brought to the world. 
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