‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ Cast Mourns Sawyer Sweeten
Members of the cast of Everybody Loves Raymond have come forward to express grief and shock over the tragic suicide of 19-year-old Sawyer Sweeten, who played Geoffrey Barone on the sitcom.
The young actor's sister, Madylin Sweeten, who appeared alongside Sawyer on the show, issued the following statement to Us Weekly on behalf of the Sweeten family:
"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.”
Ray Romano also came forward with a statement about his late co-star: "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," he said, according to the Daily Mail.
Patricia Heaton, Sawyer's onscreen mom, offered up a statement to Us Weekly as well. "Sawyer was a funny and exceptionally bright young man. He is gone from us far too soon. 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," she said.
Another co-star, Doris Roberts, posted this on her Facebook page: "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. Make sure your loved ones know how much you care about them, and please check in with them if you haven't touched base with them for a while. It's very important to keep in touch."
Finally, the sitcom's creator, Phil Rosenthal, made the following statement, according to Deadline: "We knew and loved Sawyer as a little boy. He and his real life siblings Sullivan and Madylin were such a charming, integral part of our TV family. They never failed to make us laugh, or remind of us how we feel about our own children. We are terribly sad to hear this news and our hearts go out to Sawyer’s family."
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