In a lengthy and extremely emotional statement posted to Instagram, the actor and singer Darren Criss revealed that his brother Charles committed suicide in what he described as a “colossal shock” to Criss and his family. Charles, who was known by his brother as “Chuck,” was 36 when he killed himself last week.
Darren began the statement by discussing how loved Charles was by their family and community, and the close bond they shared as brothers and friends. “It was very hard not to be fond of Chuck Criss,” Darren began, adding that he was a “total goofball,” and also noted Chuck was an extremely gifted musical artist.
“We were each other’s culture & comedy brokers. Nostalgia & adolescence witnesses. Video game & basketball buddies,” Criss wrote about their dynamic. “Unwaveringly supportive audience members. He was my favorite playmate, schoolmate, bandmate –– and I am so eternally grateful that I got to share the adventure of growing up with an older brother like that.”
On the next page, Criss began to explain that Chuck developed a “severe depression” after going through a “rough patch in his life,” and that he and other family members voiced their concerns to him but were always met with insistence that he was okay. Darren said Chuck had an “all-too-incredible ability to conceal [his depression]. Not just from the world at large, but most tragically, from the people who were closest to him.”
Darren then took time to reject simple justifications for why Chuck chose to take his life, saying “serious matters of mental health do not yield simple, convenient answers.” He said Chuck must have been in “a place where, even for a person who was as universally adored as he was, the darkness had to have been that strong, powerful enough to block out the magnitude of light coming in from the outside.”
Darren also poignantly wrote, “We have learned from an unfortunate history of beloved people meeting the same fate, that good, caring, loving people have the capacity to lose sight. Like any kind of health, there are debilitating sicknesses, viruses, cancers that can eat us from within if gone undetected.”
The actor wrapped up this compelling tribute with a plea for anyone struggling to seek professional help. He also made it clear that his brother’s suicide “is simply not something that can define who he was … it’s marvelous to know that those memories are plentiful, everlasting, and can never be taken away.”
You can watch the brother’s sweet, funny dynamic in this video, where they discuss their band Cheat Codes which formed in 2017.
Anyone in need of help can contact, the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
