Sarah Becker, a reality TV star who appeared on "The Real World," has died by suicide, her family has confirmed. She was 52 years old. Her family told TMZ on Sunday that Becker died early last week at her home in Illinois. She had moved there last year to care for some loved ones and had intended to move back to California some time back.
In recent months, Becker had been dealing with mental health issues, which were made worse by the demands of caring for her family and a skateboarding accident. Following the news of Becker's passing, many of her friends took to social media to honor her memory.
Gone too Soon
Becker built a career as a comic book editor, and at the age of 25, she got the opportunity to star in a 22-episode season of "The Real World" in 1996. "The Real World" is an MTV show that aired for 33 seasons until 2016, making it one of the longest-running reality shows ever.
Each season takes place in a different city, following a group of young adults from diverse backgrounds who live together as roommates for several months.
Becker's season was set in Miami, where she shared a house with seven other strangers in their early to mid-twenties.
Her co-stars were Dan Renzi, Melissa Padrón, Joe Patane, Cynthia Roberts, Flora Alekseyeun, and Mike Lambert.
On Sunday, Alekseyeun paid tribute to Becker on Instagram, describing her former roommate as "the most selfless person I knew."
"She was always kind and helpful to everyone. I haven't spoken to her in years and never knew she was troubled," Alekseyeun wrote.
"My prayers go out to her family. RIP my roomate, my friend. May you skate with angels and never feel pain again."
Everyone's Favorite
A unique twist for this season was that the group of young adults had to try starting a business together from their luxurious waterfront home in South Beach. Although Becker was one of the older cast members, she described herself as a "19-year-old trapped in a 25-year-old body."
According to her official MTV biography, she graduated from Indiana University and was employed at WildStorm Comics in La Jolla, California.
"A tomboy, Sarah says she doesn't deal well with pettiness and wants to stay true to herself while on the show," her bio read.
After the show ended, Becker shared her experience of being on television in an interview with the Chicago Tribune. "For me, "The Real World" was a six-month long vacation,"' she said. 'I knew from the get-go that it couldn't be a stepping stone to bigger and better things."
"I want my own magazine some day, and I don't think Sarah from "The Real World" is going to have anything to do with that," Becker said.
Becker also admitted that she disliked the fame that came with being on the show, often wearing a hood when she went out to avoid attention. She had originally applied to be on "The Real World" as a joke and was surprised when she got accepted.
Despite her initial doubts, she chose to join the cast, later describing the experience as "a blast" and saying it taught her that she was quite happy with who she is.
Becker is also recognized as the editor of numerous comic series released by WildStorm in the 1990s.
