NYPD Blue child star Austin Majors has reportedly died aged 27 while staying at a homeless housing facility in Los Angeles. Majors, who played Theo Sipowicz on the show, is said to have died on Saturday and "may have ingested a fatal amount of fentanyl," according to TMZ. However, no official cause of his death has been given yet.
The body of Majors will undergo an autopsy on Monday to determine if there was anything in his system at the time of death, according to the insider. The full toxicology report will be available in a few months. As of now, police do not believe any foul play was involved in Majors' death.
Sudden Death
The exact cause of Majors' death now remains unclear. Although foul play is not believed to be involved, a source told the publication that Majors may have "ingested a deadly dose of fentanyl."
Majors' death was also confirmed by his family in a statement to TMZ where they wrote that he, "was a loving, artistic, brilliant and kind human being. Austin took great joy and pride in his acting career. He was an active Eagle Scout and graduated Salutatorian in high school. He went on to graduate from USC's School of Cinematic Arts with a passion of directing and music producing.
"Austin's younger sister, Kali, says her fondest memories with Austin were growing up on set with him, volunteering at events with 'Kids With a Cause' and backpacking together," the statement continued.
His sister Kali is also an actress, besides to being an aspiring writer, producer, and director of movies.
"Austin was the kind of son, brother, grandson, and nephew that made us proud and we will miss him deeply forever," it said.
Majors posted a photo of his SAG-AFTRA membership card on his Instagram account on September 20, 2020, indicating that he had been a member since that year.
"Woah! Just paid dues & realized I've been a member of SAG for 2 decades (now @sagaftra). What a beautiful ride it has been. I never dreamed I'd still be alive this many years later... let alone what this would effect. My first union job was a commercial for @bountypapertowels , the quicker picker upper! haha) I'm proud/shocked by this seeming time-warp & somehow it still feels like the trip is just begining :) Keep it 100 fam," he captioned the photo.
Family and Friends Devastated
Majors played Theo Sipowicz, the son of Detective Andy Sipowicz, played by Dennis Franz, in the ABC television series NYPD Blue for seven seasons. Majors won the Young Artist Award for best performance (age 10 or under) in a TV series (comedy or drama) in 2002.
For Treasure Planet, the actor received a nomination for Best Performance in a Voice Over Role.
Actor Franz called him a "joy to work with" in a tribute posted on Majors' website. "He never has lost his enthusiasm to be on the set," Franz's sentiment read. "He just loves coming to work. He thinks of this as his playground and all of us as his older playmates! It is Austin Majors Day when he is here, he runs the show. But when he hears his cue, he gets a twinkle in his eye and he is ready to work."
Majors was born Austin Setmajer on November 23 in California. He attended the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts, where he majored in Film and Television production with a minor in Music Production, after graduating second in his high school class in 2013.
At USC, Austin also belonged to the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. He had been a member of Kids With A Cause since 2005.
Majors had his first acting appearance as a little boy in the 1997 movie "Nevada."
Before getting the part of Theo on NYPD Blue, Majors went on to star in The Price of Air in 2000, Providence in 2001, Treasure Planet in 2002, and Bananas in 2004.
He played Theo in 48 episodes from 1999 to 2004. From there, Majors went on to star in Volare in 2004 and ER for one episode as well as in Little Manhattan and Hercules for two episodes in 2005.
Between 2005 and 2007, he appeared in a few minor roles in Bye Bye Benjamin, Threshold, According to Jim, NCIS, The Ant Bully, American Dad!, Dead Silence, The Gray Man, and Desperate Housewives.
Majors' final performances included Will Wright in the television film An Accidental Christmas (2007), Hank in Night Writer (2007), and a guest appearance on How I Met Your Mother (2009).
