Lee Thompson Young, who portrayed the titular character on Disney’s The Famous Jett Jackson, has passed away at age 29.
Via TMZ, the actor was found dead in his apartment Monday morning. The cause of death was reportedly a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Most recently, Young had been appearing as Detective Barry Frost on TNT’s Rizzoli & Isles. According to Deadline, production on the series has been shut down indefinitely.
TNT, Warner Bros. and executive producer Janet Tamaro released a joint statement today regarding Young’s death. “Everyone at Rizzoli & Isles is devastated by the news of the passing of Lee Thompson Young. We are beyond heartbroken at the loss of this sweet, gentle, good-hearted, intelligent man. He was truly a member of our family. Lee will be cherished and remembered by all who knew and loved him, both on- and off-screen, for his positive energy, infectious smile and soulful grace. We send our deepest condolences and thoughts to his family, to his friends and, most especially, to his beloved mother.”
The talented young actor had appeared in numerous films and television series over the past decade, including Smallville, FlashForward, Scrubs, South Beach and the film version of “Friday Night Lights”.
Still, Young was perhaps best known for his work on Jett Jackson, Disney Channel’s first original series, from 1998 – 2001. Executive producer Shawn Levy described Young as “an amazing actor, an incredible, driven athlete, a voracious student, both in school and out, a loving and loyal son and a great and treasured friend to me and the many other people whose lives he entered. There’s no telling what great things he would have accomplished, onscreen and off, and it’s heartbreaking that now we will never know.”