Sawyer Sweeten, 'Everybody Loves Raymond' child actor, dead at 19
Former "Everybody Loves Raymond" child actor
Sawyer Sweeten died Thursday at the age of 19 at a family member's home in
Texas.
Sweeten's older sister Madilyn confirmed her brother's death
in a statement released Thursday.
"This morning a terrible family tragedy has occurred.
We are devastated to report that our beloved brother, son, and friend, Sawyer
Sweeten, took his own life," the statement said. "He was weeks away
from his 20th birthday. At this sensitive time, our family requests privacy and
we beg of you to reach out to the ones you love."
Madilyn echoed the last part of her sentiment in a post on
her Facebook page.
"At this time I would like to encourage everyone to
reach out to the ones you love. Let them have no doubt of what they mean to
you."
Sweeten was best known for his role as young Geoffrey Barone
on "Everybody Loves Raymond," where he starred alongside Madylin and
his twin brother Sullivan. The siblings portrayed the children of Ray Romano's
character on the CBS sitcom between 1996 and 2005.
"I'm shocked and terribly saddened by the news about
Sawyer," Romano in a statement released to People magazine. "He was a
wonderful and sweet kid to be around. Just a great energy whenever he was
there. My heart breaks for him, his family and his friends during this very
difficult time."
Sweeten's other co-stars shared their own thoughts and
condolences on social media. Doris Roberts, who played Sweeten's grandmother,
posted on her Facebook page that Sweeten "was a very sweet young man who
will be dearly missed."
Patricia Heaton, Sweeten's onscreen mother, left her own
message of condolence on Twitter.
The show's creator Philip Rosenthal released a statement
about Sweeten's death.
"We knew and loved Sawyer as a little boy," he
stated. "He and his real life siblings Sullivan and Madylin were such a
charming, integral part of our TV family. They never failed to make us laugh, or
remind of us how we feel about our own children. We are terribly sad to hear
this news and our hearts go out to Sawyer’s family."
A native of Brownwood, Texas, Sweeten made his first
appearance on "Everybody Loves Raymond before he turned two years old.
According to the Internet Movie Database, he also made one appearance on the
Disney Channel show "Even Stevens" and appeared in the little-seen
2002 comedy "Frank McKlusky, C.I."
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