LOS ANGELES — Sawyer Sweeten grew up before the eyes of millions as a child star on the endearing family sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond.” Early Thursday he committed suicide, his sister Madylin Sweeten said in a statement. He was 19.
“This morning a terrible family tragedy has occurred,” Madylin Sweeten said in a statement passed on by her manager Dino May. “We are devastated to report that our beloved brother, son, and friend, Sawyer Sweeten, took his own life. 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.”
Sweeten, best known for his role Geoffrey Barone, was visiting family in Texas, entertainment industry magazine Hollywood Reporter reported, where he is believed to have shot himself on the front porch. Sawyer Sweeten was born in May 1995 in Brownwood, Texas.
He was a year and a half old when he started on “Raymond,” playing next to his real-life twin brother Sullivan, who starred as Michael Barone, according to the website IMDb. Their sister, Madylin, played their TV sister Ally Barone.
The show was about the adults, and the children, especially the twins, had bit parts, adorable cameo moments. In the beginning, they were too young to speak.
The series developed a loyal following and ran from September 1996 through May 2005.
According to his IMDb profile, Sawyer did not appear to take on acting roles after “Raymond” was discontinued.
