Child star Sawyer Sweeten, who played Geoffrey Barone in long-running sitcom* Everybody Loves Raymond*, has died after an apparent suicide, his family confirmed in a statement.
The 19 year-old actor was visiting his family in Texas, where he is believed to have shot himself on their front porch Thursday, according to RadarOnline.
"This morning a terrible family tragedy has occurred," the family said in a statement. "We are devastated to report that our beloved brother, son, and friend, Sawyer Sweeten, took his own life. He was weeks away from his 20th birthday. At this sensitive time, our family requests privacy and we beg of you to reach out to the ones you love."
Sawyer was just a year and a half old when he started on the hit TV show Everybody Loves Raymond, alongside his real-life twin brother Sullivan, who starred as Michael Barone, and their sister, Madylin, played their TV sister Ally Barone. The show ran from 1996 to 2005.
Madylin wrote the following message on her Facebook page after the tragic news broke:
“At this time I would like to encourage everyone to reach out to the ones you love. Let them have no doubt of what they mean to you.”