Sawyer Sweeten, a former child actor who played Geoffrey Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond, committed suicide Thursday in Texas. He was only 19 years old.
The news was first reported by Radar Online and later confirmed by his manager and father, who sent a statement to Entertainment Tonight.
“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,” a statement from his older sister, Madylin, read. “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.”
"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," Madylin added on Facebook.
Madilyn and his twin brother Sullivan also starred on the beloved CBS series as the other Barone children.
“I'm shocked, and terribly saddened, by the news about Sawyer,” Raymond star Ray Romano said in a statement to ET. “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.”
Phil Rosenthal, who co-created the series, also said in a statement, “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.”
Raymond viewers got to see Geoffrey and Sullivan grow up before their eyes as they were just 16 months when the series started in 1996. The series ran through 2005.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, their other acting credits included an episode of Even Stevens and Frank McKlusky, CI.