Sawyer Sweeten (Geoffrey Barone) (1995-2015)

[Zoneboy]

Link


Sawyer Sweeten, who played Geoffrey Barone on “Everybody Loves Raymond,” is dead of suicide, reports RadarOnline.com. He was 19.

A source tells the site, “Sawyer was visiting family in Texas. He went on the front porch and killed himself with a gunshot to his head.”

The insider added, “Sawyer’s entire family is absolutely devastated by this tragedy.”

Sawyer and his twin brother Sullivan both starred in the show as twins Geoffrey and Michael Barone. Their real-life sister Madylin played their onscreen sister Ally Barone.

A rep for Sweeten confirmed the news.

[Janice]

Oh my, that's very sad. He must have been in a lot of pain. How terrible for his family. I didn't know that the actress who played Ally was their sister in real life.

[HuntingtonM15]

Oh, wow. How tragic. May he rest in peace.

Patricia Heaton has already tweeted about it: "Sawyer Sweeten was a funny and exceptionally bright young man. He is gone from us far too soon."

[veggie-tari-jenn]

I was shocked when I first heard about this...too awful for words...he must have been awfully depressed and or sad.....

[born2late]

Enjoyed the show. What a sad loss for the family. RIP, Sawyer.

[Mr. Television]

What a shock and what a loss for his family. R.I.P.

[D-Dey]

WTF? Damn! Seriously,... Damn!

I really don't know what else to say about this.

[Bonniegirl]

Very tragic and shocking! A shame it got this far and he didn't seek any help for his depression or whatever was troubling him so much to go to this extreme! Very sad for his family!

Hope he finally is at peace!

[Hughsgirl]

It's devestating enough that he killed himself, but what would make him do this at a relative's house and possibly in front of those who loved him? There will never be closure for his loved ones - in suicide there never is. My heart breaks for all who loved this young man.

[king of comedy]

He had such a good life to look forward and ended it so young. So sad. R.I.P.

[AB]

So very sad to hear about this, may he rest in peace.

[JamesG]

I was very saddened to hear about this, but how do we know it was a suicide?

Did anybody actually witness what happened? Was there any note left behind? It could have been he was doing something stupid w/ a firearm, but either way it's very tragic.

[Mr. Television]

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/...ry?id=30553539

Everybody Loves Raymond' Cast Pays Tribute to Sawyer Sweeten
Apr 24, 2015, 9:52 AM ET
By MICHAEL ROTHMAN

The cast of "Everybody Loves Raymond" took to social media Friday to pay tribute to one of their own.

Sawyer Sweeten died Thursday of suspected suicide at the age of 19 and the show's star Ray Romano, who also played Sweeten's father onscreen, said, "I'm shocked, and terribly saddened, by the news about Sawyer. 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 played Geoffrey Barone, Ray's son, on the show from 1996 to 2005. His twin brother, Sullivan, played Michael Barone.

Patricia Heaton, Ray's wife and the twins' mother on the show, also tweeted, "Sawyer Sweeten was a funny and exceptionally bright young man. He is gone from us far too soon ... The entire cast of #EverybodyLovesRaymond is in shock. Prayers for the Sweeten family."

Doris Roberts also posted, "It is with great sadness that I learned the news that Sawyer Sweeten, who played my grandson Geoffrey Barone on 'Everybody Loves Raymond,' died at his family's home in Texas. He was a very sweet young man who will be dearly missed."

When the news of his death broke late Thursday, Sweeten's rep released a statement from the family, saying, "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. 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."

Madylin Sweeten, the twins' sister, who was also on the show, posted a message on Facebook Thursday, writing, "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."

The Hollywood Reporter was the first to confirm the news.

[Mr. Television]

http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-...r-says-2015244

Sawyer Sweeten Was a "Good Kid," There Were "No Signs" of Trouble Before Suicide, Manager Says




Sawyer Sweeten's family and friends are reeling in the wake of his death on Thursday, April 23. As previously reported, the former child star died of an apparent suicide at age 19, leaving his loved ones shocked, grieving, and wondering what went wrong.

Sweeten's manager, Dino May, tells Us Weekly there were "no signs" of trouble prior to the Everybody Loves Raymond actor taking his own life. "Everybody was shocked," he says. "[There was] no depression, no nothing. He was a good kid. Teenage stuff, but no depression, no signs or anything."



He adds that there was nothing "Hollywood" about Sweeten, and that he wasn't "doing drugs or...anything like that." He was "just a great, very quiet, very shy kid," May tells Us.

Indeed, while his sister Madilyn was interested in pursuing more acting work in Hollywood, Sawyer and his twin brother Sullivan sought a more low-key life out of the spotlight. May says they'd decided to take some time off after working throughout much of their childhood. (The boys were just a year old when they joined Ray Romano's sitcom in 1996; the show ended when they were 10.)



"They had definitely taken a very strong hiatus," May says.

With that hiatus came new hobbies. "[He] loved his video games," May recalls. "I always thought he would go into some kind of video game adventure, you know? Good kid, no drugs, no nothing, no drama, good parents. Everybody got along."


May says, too, that the Sweeten kids had kept in touch with their former TV family -- many of whom spoke out after Sawyer's death.

Series star Romano, for one, told Us in a statement, "I'm shocked, and terribly saddened, by the news about Sawyer. 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."


Patricia Heaton, who played Sawyer's on-screen mom and Romano's wife on the series, also expressed her condolences, describing Sawyer as a "funny and exceptionally bright young man...gone from us far too soon." She added, "The loss the Sweeten family is experiencing is unimaginable. Tonight hug your children a little tighter and please keep Sawyer and his family in your thoughts and prayers."

His sister Madilyn shared a similar plea. In a statement to Us confirming that Sawyer had taken his own life just weeks before his 20th birthday, she added, "At this sensitive time, our family requests privacy and we beg of you to reach out to the ones you love."

[Family Ties Forever!]

That's terrible. So sad to hear. He was young. My heart goes out to his family.