The 27-year-old New Jersey-born model was found 'unconscious and unresponsive' by police officers in the bathroom at his friend's midtown Manhattan apartment.
- Jan 25, 2023
AceShowbiz - Details surrounding Jeremy Ruehlemann's shocking death have been unveiled. According to his father Achim Ruehlemann, the New Jersey model may have died of an accidental drug overdose at the age of 27 after years-long addiction battle.
Achim detailed what led to his son's death one day after the young model's passing was announced on social media by his friend and famed designer Christian Siriano. Speaking to Daily Mail on Tuesday, January 24, Achim also revealed that his son had struggled with addiction to the painkiller Percocet and other prescription drugs and had gone to rehab in the past.
"He did rehab and had tried to get off prescription medication," the grieving father said, his face pale and eyes sunken from a lack of sleep since his son's death. "Obviously, he was not successful."
Jeremy, however, did note that their family is not "100 per cent sure exactly what happened" as they are still awaiting the results of the toxicology tests but described the death as a tragic accident. "There was no desire to end his life, this was accidental," he assured, "Obviously, he had some issues with drug addiction, but he was very happy. He loved life. He was very vibrant, a wonderful soul and a very giving guy."
"You could see what people are saying about him on social media," Achim continued, highlighting one Instagram post from fashion designer Christian who considered Jeremy to be his muse. "Siriano gave a very nice tribute. I don't know if there's anybody who could say anything negative about him. It's just a tragedy."
NYPD unveiled that Jeremy was discovered at his friend's midtown Manhattan apartment after police received a 911 call at 9:50 A.M. on Saturday, January 21 about an "unconscious male." Officers arrived to find "unconscious and unresponsive" Jeremy in the bathroom and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The Medical Examiner's Office is investigating the cause of death.
A funeral service for Jeremy will be held Saturday, January 28 at Burnett & White Funeral Home in upstate Red Hook, New York. His wake will be on Friday, his family said.
Throughout his career, Jeremy modeled for Perry Ellis and Superdry and appeared in magazines like GQ and Playhaus. His final Instagram post made two days prior to his death was a behind-the-scenes picture from a photo shoot with the Tommy Hilfiger brand, captioned, "BTS with Tommy."
