Katie Cleary receives a kiss on the cheek from actor Leonardo diCaprio in Cannes, June 2014. Credit: TMZ.com
Andrew Stern [40], husband of ‘Deal or No Deal’ suitcase model Katie Cleary, took his life by a gun shot to the head at a San Fernando Valley shooting range this past Sunday. Authorities discovered through investigation Stern was suffering from depression and anxiety due to marital stress. His estranged wife, Cleary, was recently photographed cuddling up to Leonardo di Caprio and Adrian Grenier in Cannes last month.
His failing marriage with Cleary was also a motivator for a suicide attempt in April, days after the couple began the arduous process of filing for divorce. He had returned to his parents’ home in Ohio for a respite and tried to take his life at a shooting range there. Staff at the shooting range turned the clearly disheveled man away and his mom had Stern taken to a hospital to evaluate his mental stability.
Cleary denied the Cannes photographers had anything to do with her estranged husband’s suicide.
A spokesperson for the family issued the following statement:
“It’s extremely upsetting that our family’s private tragedy has become public, and we’d like to ask the media to please respect our privacy as we grieve our only son,” the statement reads. “This unwanted attention has resulted in several false & hurtful speculations that do not truthfully describe the devoted, unselfish, accomplished & proud man Andrew was. Andrew was an adored son, cherished friend, successful businessman, adventurous athlete, passionate animal rights activist & humanitarian. No one is without flaws, but Andrew was a giving & generous spirit who touched so many lives in a positive way. For those of us who loved him, there will never be an answer to ‘why?’ We choose to honor his memory by remembering how he lived, not how he died.”
Andrew Stern in happier times with estranged wife Katie Cleary. The “The Millionaire Matchmaker” alum Andrew Stern died by suicide on June 22, 2014. Credit: Us Magazine
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