Ned Vizzini Commits Suicide — Depressed Author Dead At 32 Years Old – Hollywood Life

Ned Vizzini: Beloved Author Commits Suicide At Young Age Of 32

So sad. The author of 'It's Kind of a Funny Story,' who wrote openly about his struggles with depression, tragically took his own life in Brooklyn, New York on Dec. 19. He was just 32 years old. Ned Vizzini was a renowned novel and television writer, penning books like It's Kind of a Funny Story and writing for shows like Teen Wolf. But he was also known for writing and speaking openly about depression. He was sadly never able to overcome those struggles, and on Dec. 19 he committed suicide at 32 years old.

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December 21, 2013 11:56AM EST
Ned Vizzini Suicide
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Ned Vizzini: Author Commits Suicide At 32

Ned took his own life by jumping off the roof of his parent’s home in Brooklyn, New York, his brother Daniel told the Associated Press. A medical examiner at the scene confirmed that Ned committed suicide.

[hl_youtube src=”http://youtu.be/-t6DYm3-j3M” link=”http://youtu.be/-t6DYm3-j3M” text=”Ned Vizzini On ‘YA Visions'”]

Ned was a teenage prodigy, gaining acclaim at the age of 15 for his humorous essays for the New York Press. At the age of 17, he was offered a job writing for the New York Times Magazine. A collection of his essays were published when he was 19, and his first novel, Be More Chill, was published to positive reviews in 2004.

His second chapter as a writer manifested itself in the form of TV. He wrote for Teen Wolf and was also working as an executive story editor on the upcoming sci-fi series, Believe, created by Alfonso Cuaron and executive produced by J.J. Abrams. He was also collaborating with director Chris Columbus on the House of Secrets fantasy series of books.

Ned Vizzini’s Struggles With Depression

But Ned’s issues stemming from depression always underlined his work and his persona. He checked himself into a psychiatric ward at New York Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn shortly after Be More Chill was published in 2004. Then after leaving the psych ward — and writing a book based on his experiences called It’s Kind of a Funny Story, which was made into a movie in 2010 — Ned began traveling to colleges and other venues to speak out on depression, urging people to recognize the disease and its warning signs. “There are so few things that can really kill you in this world, but one of those things is stress,” Ned told students at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The fact that Ned is gone, and the circumstance under which he died, is just so sad. But hopefully his message about recognizing and fighting depression has been heard, and many others will be saved because of him.

Our thoughts go out to Ned’s friends and family during this difficult time.

— Andrew Gruttadaro

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