Leonard Belzer, who was married to 'Sesame Street' director Emily Squires until her death in 2012, jumped from the roof of his 16-floor Upper West Side apartment building on Wednesday.
- Jul 31, 2014
AceShowbiz - Sad news comes from another Hollywood star. After Drew Barrymore's half-sister Jessica Barrymore was found dead in a car, law enforcement sources have confirmed that Richard Belzer's brother Leonard Belzer jumped to his death on Wednesday, July 30.
A representative for Richard, who starred on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit", said, "It is with deep sadness that news reports of the passing of Richard Belzer's brother, Len, have been confirmed. Richard is in seclusion at his home in France and cannot be reached for comment at this time."
The body of Leonard, 73, was found at 6:45 A.M. in the courtyard of his Upper West Side apartment block The Stanton. The former host of a syndicated radio show called "The Comedy Hour" lived on the 11th floor and is believed to have jumped from the roof of the 16-floor building.
Law enforcement sources said multiple suicide notes were found in Leonard 's apartment, but it's unclear what they said or to whom they were addressed. Leonard is believed to have suffered from a heart condition and the passing of his wife in 2012. He was married to "Sesame Street" director Emily Squires until she passed away in November 2012.
An employee at The Stanton recalled, "I had to put him on a bus to the hospital a couple of times." Another employee said, "He was in a lot of pain. He was hurting, stomach problems. He was also hurting because his wife died a couple years ago. They were beautiful people."
Meanwhile, his neighbor Terry Caza, a producer and actor, said, "After his wife died he was never quite the same. He never quite recovered. He was still friendly after she passed, but he just seemed more subdued." He added, "He was obviously very affected by his wife's death."
Terry described Leonard as "the nicest guy" before Emily died. He remembered Belzer, "We'd talk about movies all the time, we'd chat about what was going on. He was always out consuming culture in the city."
Ironically, Leonard and Richard's salesman dad Charles also committed suicide in 1968. The Belzer brothers endured a traumatic childhood because their mother Frances beat them relentlessly. Leonard once told PEOPLE, "Our mother didn't know how to love her sons appropriately. She always had some rationale for hitting us."
