Actor Henry Deutschendorf commits suicide

Henry "Hank" Deutschendorf, who is known as the "Ghostbusters II" child actor, has died in an apparent suicide at the age of 29.

According to the San Diego Coroner's report, he committed suicide by hanging himself. He was discovered by his twin brother William, who also starred as baby Oscar in the 1989 movie, in the apartment in Escondido, California, reports aceshowbiz.com.

According to the coroner's report: "The decedent was a single, 29-year-old Caucasian male who resided with his girlfriend in an apartment in the city of Escondido. On the evening of 06/14/17, he was found suspended by a ligature around his neck in his closet by his brother."

William cut Henry down before calling 911, but it was too late. When the first responders arrived at the home, "his death was then confirmed without medical interventions due to signs of rigidity. He had a long history of depression," the report stated.

In his blog post on Wednesday, June 21, William confirmed his brother's passing.

"It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my twin brother, Hank. On Wednesday, June 14, 2017, Henry John Deutschendorf II lost his battle with schizoaffective disorder," he wrote.

Hank, who is also the nephew of country singer John Denver, was diagnosed with the disorder in 2008.

"He experienced hallucinations, delusions, depression, and mania. It is a very severe mental illness that usually requires a lifetime of treatment. It is not well studied, so the treatment is largely an estimation based on schizophrenia and bipolar treatments," William wrote.

He went on remembering his twin brother: "If you knew Hank before his diagnosis, you knew a young man who was upbeat, healthy, witty, kind, outgoing, and was always ready to stand up for people." He noted that Hank's medication had side effects that "took a toll" on his personality.

William also said in his blog post: "It is also very important to me to immediately spread awareness about schizophrenia, bipolar, and suicide prevention."

Deutschendorf appeared as himself in a 2017 documentary about "Ghostbusters" titled "Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters".

--IANS

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