Young Actor Jonathan Brandis' Sad Cause Of Death

Jonathan Gregory Brandis was born on April 13, 1976, in Danbury, Connecticut, to Mary and Gregory Brandis. His career began early when, at just two years old, he started modeling for 'Buster Brown shoes', eventually transitioning into acting in TV commercials by the age of four.

At the age of six, Jonathan landed the role of "Kevin Buchanan" in the soap opera 'One Life to Live'. When he was nine, his family relocated to Los Angeles, California, where he began appearing in various shows such as 'Murder', 'She Wrote', 'The Wonder Years', and 'LA Law'.

At 14, Jonathan got his first major gig as "Bastian Bux" in 'The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter'. That year, he also appeared in Stephen King’s It and scored roles in 'Sidekicks' and 'LadyBugs', showing off his talent as a rising star in Hollywood

At 17, Jonathan starred as the brilliant "Lucas Wolenczak" in Steven Spielberg's sci-fi series, 'seaQuest DSV', earning him a huge teenage fan base. His last onscreen appearance was in the action drama 'Puerto Vallarta Squeeze', alongside Harvey Keitel and Scott Glenn.

Brandis tragically passed away in when he was 27 in his Los Angeles apartment on November 11, 2003. He was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center but succumbed to his injuries the next day.

Brandis didn't leave a suicide note. His friends shared that he was feeling down about his career slowing down. Reports mentioned he was drinking a lot and had talked about wanting to end his life before.

In March 2021, Soleil Moon Frye, who starred in 'Punky Brewster,' revealed that she felt emotional listening to old voicemails from her late friend, Jonathan Brandis. She said, "I found so many messages Jonathan left me when we were kids" while reminiscing through her old recordings and videos

"Some of them were 10 minutes long, his innermost thoughts. It just made me cry listening to them. He was a real friend...I had some elements of guilt not seeing [the pain]. How often do we really look at each other and go, 'How are you?' and hear what someone is saying? I learned that I just wasn't listening in the way I do now," she said. Soleil mentioned she still feels his presence around her and that she'll always "carry his memories" with her.

In an interview with 'Yahoo!' in April 2023, Danica McKellar, known for her role in 'The Wonder Years', described her teenage co-star as "really fun to work with," "so charismatic," and "just a really creative guy."