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[Trojita]

http://omg.yahoo.com/news/degrassi-actor-neil-hope-died-5-years-ago-212328911.html

Actor Neil Hope, who starred as Derek "Wheels" Wheeler on the popular 1980s TV series "Degrassi Junior High" and had little contact with relatives and friends in his final years, died alone in an Ontario rooming house in 2007, his former fiance confirmed Friday.

Ex-fiance Christina Boulard said Hope's family spent years trying to track him down after hearing rumors of his passing several years ago, but only learned last month from police in Hamilton, Ontario, that he had died.

Boulard said the former star of Canada's groundbreaking "Degrassi" series died on Nov. 25, 2007, of "natural causes" at the age of 35 but declined to elaborate, only saying Hope was diabetic.

Boulard, who last saw Hope in 2002, said it was not unusual for him to cut ties with friends and family for sometimes a year at a time.

"Neil was a very private person. He didn't have the best life, there were times when he would go a while without seeing or talking to his family," Boulard said.

She said she is angry that police took so long to inform Hope's relatives of his death. He apparently had not listed a next-of-kin in any official documents, she said, adding she doubted that was true.

"He deserved better and so did his family," Boulard said.

Hamilton Police Service Sgt. Terri-Lynn Collings said Friday that the force doesn't comment on "sudden death investigations where there's no suspicion of any foul play."

A spokeswoman for Ontario's Office of the Chief Coroner said that an unclaimed person would be buried by a municipality only after a next-of-kin search was conducted. Cheryl Mahyr said a search could include hospitals, physicians, pharmacies, community organizations and mental health facilities.

Hope was one of "Degrassi's" earliest stars, appearing as "Griff" on the first installment, "The Kids of Degrassi Street," in 1979.

On "Degrassi Junior High," which ran from 1987 to 1991 on PBS in the United States, he portrayed the troubled character Derek Wheeler — known as "Wheels" — who struggled with alcoholism. The actor was candid about his own difficult childhood growing up with alcoholic parents.

"Degrassi Junior High," was acclaimed for its realistic portrayal of topics such as drug use, child abuse, teen pregnancy, homophobia, racism and divorce. The show followed the lives of teens who eventually graduated to "Degrassi High," another incarnation of the show.

Hope later guest starred on "Degrassi: The Next Generation" in 2001 and 2003, but details of his final years were scarce. The "Degrassi" series has won two International Emmy Awards and two Teen Choice Awards, along with several other awards.

 

[Sonki.]

Well, that's a bummer.

 

[FrenchToastDisciple]

Thought that this was going to be some crazy situation where he was so isolated that no one even realized he was dead until now (like he fell off a cliff on a solitary hike and no one noticed), but this is even worse somehow.

 

[Pandaman]

Thought that this was going to be some crazy situation where he was so isolated that no one even realized he was dead until now (like he fell off a cliff on a solitary hike and no one noticed), but this is even worse somehow.

well, it is hamilton.

 

[lordfroakie]

Did not know Degrassi existed in 1979...

 

[zomaha]

Poor Wheels. He had a rough family life in Degrassi, too.

 

[CielTynave]

This kind of situation is sort of what I imagine my own death will be like.

 

[Stumpokapow]

This kind of story happened in my family, only not as bad. An (by blood) uncle of mine left the province a number of years ago after his divorce and sort of voluntarily lost touch with everyone. There was never any particularly bad blood, he just didn't come back. We had a contact number for him and when his mom got very ill he came down and saw her and said goodbye. She died a few months later and he didn't come to the funeral. His Dad died three or four years after that suddenly and no one was able to contact him. When that happened, we got another uncle who lived in the same province to try to track him down in person but the address we had was not valid.

And then around 2007 I took a phone call that he had died of a heart attack. When my mother flew up to deal with his limited estate and claim the body, she found that he had been living with some friends fairly near his last address, had generally been quiet and calm and not really doing a whole lot, but not depressed or screwed up. He had complained of heartburn for several years and just took Pepto Bismol when he ate food, but evidently he had heart disease.

Thankfully in our case the next-of-kin search was enough to find us, but if that had failed, we probably still wouldn't know where he was or if he was alive today.

I think of it as a little sad because at least from my observation there were never problems that would have lead to him cutting contact with people. I don't remember any fighting. When he was down when his mother was sick, things were fine. I don't know if he had any bad blood or anything, but even after he died I don't remember anyone saying anything like that. I think sometimes with introverted people, this kind of thing happens.

So I guess the only lesson I took from it all is that if you are introverted (or especially if you are depressed and isolated), you should always keep at least one lifeline open, at least one channel of communication, just in case something like this happens. It's not for your benefit, it's for your family's. In Hope's case I'm surprised they didn't find any relatives--even without a next of kin, it doesn't seem like his identity was in doubt and they could have easily checked with, for example, agents or casting people he had worked with. I can see that a random vagrant dies with no ID and no one can do anything, but it really surprises me that they would know exactly who someone is, but not manage to find their blood relatives. And he didn't even leave the country, so that makes things even easier.

 

[Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!]

This kind of situation is sort of what I imagine my own death will be like.

thats terrible dude

 

[R2D4]

My wife and I started re watching Degrassi Jr High on Hulu recently. I hadn't seen it since I was in junior high and we watched it at school in homeroom. So sad to hear what a happened to Wheels. His real life wasn't any better than the character he played.

 

[Davedough]

While scrolling, my scanning eyes caught this title as DeGrasse Neil dies ...

I panicked.

 

[mf.luder]

There was a rumour long time ago that he died, but way before this apparent date. This is sad news, which is essentially confirming those whispers.

Miss you wheels. The first episode I watched of Degrassi was one that focused on him.