Sawyer Sweeten, an actor best known for his role as one of the young twins on hit sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond,” died of an apparent suicide on Thursday, his manager Dino May confirmed. He was 19.
“This morning a terrible family tragedy has occurred,” Sweeten’s sister, Madylin, said in a statement. “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.”
According to Radar Online, which first reported the news, he was visiting family in Texas, where he is believed to have shot himself on the front porch.
Sweeten played Geoffrey Baron on “Everybody Loves Raymond,” which ran from 1996-2005 on CBS. He acted alongside his twin brother, Sullivan, and their sister Madylin, who played Ally Baron, for 139 episodes. The two brothers were only 16 months old when they first started on the show.
Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton, Brad Garrett, Doris Roberts, Peter Boyle and Monica Horan also starred in the comedy.
Sawyer Sweeten was born in Brownwood, Texas. As a child, he and his brother shared roles in the 2002 film “Frank McKlusky, C.I.” and a 2000 episode of Disney Channel series “Even Stevens.”
Sawyer, Sullivan and Madylin Sweeten last appeared in public together at the 2010 TV Land Awards.
Variety
