When you get to a certain age, everybody’s life has been touched by the loss of someone that is important to you. Actors often disappear from shows between seasons, and their absence is sometimes left unmentioned or explained away quite quickly, so I wondered how you decided to deal with it this particular way. This interview has been edited and condensed. The actor Lee Thompson Young took his own life in August 2013. The season finale was hastily rewritten to explain Frost’s absence by sending him on vacation. The one-hour drama is based on the series of Rizzoli & Isles novels by Tess Gerritsen. ... WHY did they kill off Susie? But she was well aware that she had to approach it with great care. One is to have it be a crime that you investigate. First Frost, now Suzie. With Angie Harmon, Sasha Alexander, Jordan Bridges, Bruce McGill. "Lee will be cherished and remembered by all who knew and loved him, both on and off screen, for his positive energy, infectious smile, and soulful grace," she added. LOS ANGELES — "Rizzoli & Isles" is saying goodbye to Lee Thompson Young, who played police Detective Barry Frost on the TNT crime drama. So when Frost died in the Season 5 premiere, viewers genuinely mourned the loss — and the circumstances surrounding his abrupt departure. “A kindred spirit.” Everyone is wondering why Tina Huang was killed off Rizzoli and Isles, and after a lot of searching, I have finally discovered the answer!. It was very clear to all of us that we didn’t want there to be a blurry line between Detective Barry Frost’s death and whatever way we were going to treat that death. "We are beyond heartbroken at the loss of this sweet, gentle, good-hearted, intelligent man. What happened to Frost on 'Rizzoli & Isles'? Rizzoli & Isles is an American crime drama series based on the novels by Tess Gerritsen, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander as the respective title characters. Mandy T.T. We had one simple principle, which was to make sure that we were honoring Lee and the character of Barry Frost. If you value our work, please disable your ad blocker. The Famous Jett Jackson alum died in August 2014 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. At age ten, he portrayed Dr. Martin Luther King in a play called "A Night of Stars and Dreams". Was there ever any thought of introducing depression, bipolar disorder, or even suicide? Barry Frost was too young and too good for us to be here today," Rizzoli says in the episode. A senator's daughter is murdered, Tommy falls off the rails, and Jane announces some surprising news on the Rizzoli & Isles season 4 finale. In a tragic turn of events, the police procedural’s writers were forced to kill off Frost because of actor Lee Thompson Young’s death in 2013. He was playing Detective Barry Frost in the hit TNT series Rizzoli & Isles when he committed suicide in August 2013 during the filming of Season 4’s penultimate episode. The suicide of actor Lee Thompson Young, mid season of the fourth which meant writing around the absence of Barry Frost, and then having to explain it in the fifth, left both cast members and audience emotionally drained. Barry Frost after he died in a car accident. Carr says: July 18, 2015 at 10:16 pm I am looking into why Susie was killed off. Susie was a very fun addition to Rizzoli and Isles, and I’m sad to see her go, but the writers gave her a proper send-off. Join Slate Plus to continue reading, and you’ll get unlimited access to all our work—and support Slate’s independent journalism. 'Rizzoli & Isles" was still in production on its current fourth season when the actor took his life, according to Deadline. Uzi says: August 21, 2013 at 6:54 AM. We still tear up just thinking about that moment. Is Sandra Smith's Absence on 'America's Newsroom' Related to Ed Henry's Firing? In the Season 5 premiere, which aired last week, Detective Frost met his demise in a car accident, and in tonight’s episode, the show commemorated Frost in a memorial ceremony. Production has since been halted, giving the cast and crew time to grieve, as well as time to figure out the proper send-off for Young's Detective Frost. It was a really moving commemoration. You may not have noticed that in last week’s episode, we saw less of Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon) than usual. They found the former Disney Channel star dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Barry Frost went to an elite prep school and was among the only three black students. "Everyone at [Rizzoli & Isles] is devastated by the news of the passing of Lee Thompson Young," the series’ executive producer, Janet Tamaro, noted in a statement. Is she dead in real life? That might have been a case where real life would have been too close and would have made us uncomfortable, because it would have felt like we were exploiting this tragedy for dramatic purposes. That speaks to the depth of feeling everyone had for Lee. If It's Suddenly Not Working, You Aren't Alone, Vlog Squad Member Jeff Wittek Sustained Serious Injuries From an Accident, Carrie From 'My 600 lb Life' Looks Like a Totally New Person Now, The Story Behind Drew Carey's Ex-Fiancée Is So Tragic, Lara Jean Ends up With [SPOILER] at the End of the 'To All the Boys I've Loved Before' Series, Serial Killer Richard Ramirez Was Married for 13 Years. Why is this such a hard question to answer??? Frost will probably get another job and leave town… Reply. According to various reports, the South Carolina native suffered from bipolar disorder and had been struggling with depression before he took his own life. He had a crush on Detective Jane Rizzolifor a while. No. There wasn’t, mostly because we wanted to be very careful that it didn’t feel exploitive. And you'll never see this message again. In honor of the character, and Lee, Rizzoli (played by Angie Harmon) gives a moving eulogy that brought the cast and crew to tears. It premiered on TNT on July 12, 2010, and set a record as cable TV's most watched commercial-supported series launch. Why In The World Did They Have To Kill Susie????? I’ve certainly had that experience, and the episode connects to feelings that I continue to have about some of those losses in a way that was soothing to me. By joining Slate Plus you support our work and get exclusive content. Born as the eldest child to Angela and Francesco Rizzoli, Sr. in 1976, Jane is the older sister of Frankie and Tommy.Raised in the blue-collar Boston suburb of Revere, Massachusetts, Jane has fought long and hard to win the respect of her colleagues, but it's her relationship with her equally stubborn mother that sometimes proves to be her biggest headache.As a child, she was slightly chubby, earning her the nickname \"Rollie … Premise. PHOTOS: Disney stars through the years With that notion, Nash and the cast decided to have Young's character Detective Barry Frost die in a car accident on last week's episode. Lee Thompson Young was just 13 when he was cast as the title character in the Disney series The Famous Jett Jackson. When that show came to an end after three seasons and a movie, he earned a degree at USC and worked consistently, including roles in the movie version of Friday Night Lights and several TV series. When the 29-year-old didn’t show up for work on Aug. 19, police were called to perform a … As the Boston Homicide detectives solve a murder, they each think of ways to say goodbye to Detective Barry Frost. “Rizzoli & Isles” will solve their last crimes this year. Directed by Steve Robin. As if there was not enough drama in the last two season of "Rizzoli And Isles." In a tragic turn of events, the police procedural’s writers were forced to kill off Frost because of actor Lee Thompson Young’s death in 2013. The unduly overlooked star of Rizzoli & Isles?It has to be Susie Chang (Tina Huang), the senior criminalist with an impeccable sense of humor and an unparalleled work ethic.. Akin to the bombastic main characters — detective Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon) and chief medical examiner Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander) — Susie demonstrated a diligent, but playful approach. Lee Thompson Young was born as the son of Velma Love and Tommy Scott Young. A homicide detective who’s terrified of dead bodies and cringes at the sight of blood? They had said he’d gone on vacation, and in a situation where an actor had died, that seemed less satisfying. He was truly a member of our family. When I realized that they had not actively dealt with it in the Season 4 finale, my own personal instinct was that it needed to be marked in some way. When he was in second grade his parents split up and he went to live with his mother. The former Disney Channel star’s last role was playing Jane’s partner, Barry Frost, on Rizzoli & Isles. "We couldn't just say Barry Frost went on vacation and occasionally talk about how much fun he was having or give him a new job in a new city. "We shouldn't be here today. Did Tina H. get another gig? In one last nod to Frost, the BPD establishes the Barry Frost Memorial Scholarship in the Season 5 finale, which is given to students who are academically gifted but lack the resources to pursue certain careers. The character, played by Tina Huang, died in season six episode, Misconduct Game. Money issues? It’s revealed that the Boston Police Department detective was killed in a car accident while returning home from vacation. Lee Thompson Young as Detective Barry Frost in Rizzoli & Isles. Lee Thompson Young's "Rizzoli & Isles" character, Detective Barry Frost, was given an emotional farewell in Tuesday's episode. That's when Lee decided he wanted to be an actor. All contents © 2021 The Slate Group LLC. Has Such Admirable Features as Hair, Eyebrows, and Skin. The 29-year-old actor was found dead in his North Hollywood home last August of an apparent suicide. In episode two, …Goodbye , Rizzoli (Angie Harmon), Maura (Sasha Alexander), Frankie (Jordan Bridges) and Korsak (Bruce McGill) have to deal with the loss of Barry Frost. That would feel icky," she added. Those unique traits are just a few of the things that made Barold "Barry" Frost so charming on Rizzoli & Isles. Killing off Frost was the only option to honor Young, Nash feels, as any other alternative would ring false. He was 29. He was so nervous because parts of the job didn't quite agree with him, but he didn't let that stand in his way… I will miss him as my partner. Recently, we reported that TNT had cancelled Rizzoli & Isles. If the people who loved Lee chose to see it, they would feel that we were honoring his memory. Slate spoke with Rizzoli & Isles’ new showrunner, Jan Nash, about how the creative team decided how to handle Young’s death. Rizzoli and Isles might be a procedural show but the character’s story arcs play out throughout the season. I’m not sure it’s in such good taste to kill off the character off-screen.. She was blown to the head after she had left a crime scene. The sense of loss really came across. The other is that it is something tragic, that isn’t related to the procedural element of the show. He was 29 and had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Susie Chang was killed off from Rizzoli & Isles. He was playing Detective Barry Frost in the hit TNT series Rizzoli & Isles when he committed suicide in August 2013 during the filming of Season 4’s … Au revoir, Rizzoli & Isles. When the 29-year-old didn’t show up for work on Aug. 19, police were called to perform a wellness check at his L.A. apartment. All rights reserved. While Frost died in a tragic, off-screen car accident, Suzie was murdered by a wealthy politician who dreamed of becoming governor. When Sasha Alexander arrived on the “Rizzoli & Isles” set Monday morning, Aug. 19, 2013, she had one scene with co-stars Bruce McGill and Lee Thompson Young, who played Detective Barry Frost… Rizzoli & Isles is an American crime drama television series starring Angie Harmon as police detective Jane Rizzoli and Sasha Alexander as medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles. That leads you to him dying in a tragic accident. In the first episode of the new season, which aired this … Lee Thompson Young, Actor: Friday Night Lights. "We had to deal with it in a real and concrete way," she explained to the publication. Lee Thompson Young, who starred in Disney’s “The Famous Jett Jackson” and most-recently in TNT’s “Rizzoli & Isles,” has died, according to TMZ. In a 2014 interview with TVGuide.com, showrunner Jan Nash recalled the daunting task of having to write Frost off the crime drama. What Happened to 'Game Pigeon'? Reply. "Lee was more than just a brilliant young actor, he was a wonderful and gentle soul who will be truly missed," his manager, Paul Baruch, said at the time. Rizzoli & Isles say a final goodbye to Det. Her murder took the storyline to another angle. The reason for that was twofold. [WARNING: The following story contains spoilers about Monday's series finale of Rizzoli & Isles.Read at your own risk.] Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. "We realized that we had to have the character die so we could deal with that loss the same way the people on the show had dealt with Lee's loss.". "I met Barry when he joined homicide. Rizzoli & Isles took the crime show genre to the next level with its 2010 premiere, focusing on two female friends and colleagues who didn’t need anyone else to solve the case. The TNT procedural drama will end after Season 7 airs later this year. The character quickly became a fan favorite due to his off-kilter reactions to grisly crime scenes and fierce loyalty to partner Jane Rizzoli. The character needs to be memorialized some way, and if the character is going to die, then on a TV show that deals with crimes, you have two choices. When I met with [lead actors Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander], it became very clear that what they wanted was to make sure that we dealt with Lee’s death in a way that was not just respectful to the actor and the role that he had filled in this company, but also to his character. "We send our deepest condolences and thoughts to his family, to his friends, and, most especially, to his beloved mother.". The 29 … You’ve run out of free articles. You can cancel anytime. Rizzoli & Isles has had its share of deaths. I will miss him as my friend.". Tina told Talk Nerdy With Us exclusively: “I knew pretty early on, but of course, I didn’t want to spoil it for the fans, and that was a really difficult secret to keep under wraps. Thank you. Slate relies on advertising to support our journalism. It premiered on TNT on July 12, 2010, and aired 105 episodes in seven seasons, concluding on September 5, 2016. 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