Ned Vizzini, Popular YA Author, Commits Suicide at 32

He wrote about depression and thoughts of suicide, humorously chronicling his own struggles with the disease, but the jokes only masked the turmoil inside. On Dec. 19, author Ned Vizzini, 32, committed suicide by jumping from the roof of his parent’s Brooklyn home.

Vizzini was a popular writer; his book It’s Kind of a Funny Story was made into a film starring Zach Galifianakis:

Vizzini’s comic and autobiographical writing, while still a high school student in New York, drew critical acclaim. More recently he lived in Los Angeles where he wrote for television shows including MTV’s “Teen Wolf,” and he was working as executive story editor on the upcoming NBC science fiction series “Believe,” created by director Alfonso Cuarón, with J.J. Abrams as an executive producer.

Vizzini often wrote and spoke public about his battles with depression:

A resident of Los Angeles in recent years, he was a prolific author of fiction and nonfiction and spoke around the country about mental health and the healing effects of writing. On his website, he recommended Andrew Solomon’s “The Noonday Demon” and the Dalai Lama’s “The Art of Happiness” to readers coping with depression.

“At his signings, countless kids would approach him to say that he changed their lives – he gave them hope,” his longtime publisher, Alessandra Balzer of Balzer + Bray, said in a statement Friday.

His last Facebook post, from Nov. 28 reads “This Thanksgiving I am thankful for so many things, including running into the real House of Secrets in Los Angeles this year!” The page has been flooded with condolences and messages of support to the family.

Daniel Vizzini, the author’s brother, told reporters on Friday his brother had taken a “turn for the worse” in dealing with depression. Vizzini leaves behind a wife and son.