'Everybody Loves Raymond' star Sawyer Sweeten reportedly commits suicide 

\'Everybody Loves Raymond\' star Sawyer Sweeten reportedly commits suicide

Sawyer Sweeten, who played Geoffrey Barone on "Everybody Loves Raymond" died Thursday after apparently committing suicide. He was 19.

Sweeten, twin brother Sullivan and older sister Madylin played the three children of actors Ray Romano and Patricia Heaton from 1996 to 2005 on the hit CBS show.

Heaton tweeted, "The entire cast of #EverybodyLovesRaymond is in shock. Prayers for the Sweeten family."

Heaton released a statement to E! News on Thursday, saying, "Sawyer was a funny and exceptionally bright young man. He is gone from us far too soon. The loss the Sweeten family is experiencing is unimaginable. Tonight hug your children a little tighter and please keep Sawyer and his family in your thoughts and prayers."

Actors Sullivan Sweeten (R) and Sawyer Sweeten attend the "Everybody Loves Raymond" series wrap party at Hanger 8 on April 28, 2005 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Ray Romano also released a statement to E! News, saying he was "shocked and terribly saddened. He was a wonderful and sweet kid to be around. Just a great energy whenever he was there. My heart breaks for him, his family and his friends during this very difficult time."

Doris Roberts, who played Sawyer\'s grandmother on the show, paid tribute to him on Facebook. "It is with great sadness that I learned the news that Sawyer Sweeten, who played my grandson Geoffrey Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond, died at his family\'s home in Texas," she wrote. "He was a very sweet young man who will be dearly missed. Make sure your loved ones know how much you care about them, and please check in with them if you haven\'t touched base with them for a while. It\'s very important to keep in touch."

Sawyer\'s now 23-year-old sister Madylin released a statement saying, "This morning a terrible family tragedy has occurred. We are devastated to report that our beloved brother, son, and friend, Sawyer Sweeten, took his own life. He was weeks away from his 20th birthday. At this sensitive time, our family requests privacy and we beg of you to reach out to the ones you love."

Tony Hicks writes celebrity commentary for the Bay Area News Group. Contact him at Facebook.com/BayAreaNewsGroup.TonyHicks or Twitter.com/tonyhicks67

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