Johnny Lewis, the 28-year-old actor found dead in El Lay at the scene of a murder on Wednesday morning, was without a doubt a talented young man.
He played Half-Sack Epps in the critically acclaimed FX drama Sons of Anarchy for two seasons until he was killed off after “creative differences” with executive producer Kurt Sutter.
Sadly, Lewis’ former boss has revealed he is not surprised by the actor’s shocking death.
In a personal message to fans about the tragic incident, Sutter reveals he had known that Half-Sack was headed for trouble for a long time and wrote:
Not sure if folks know this yet, but Johnny Lewis (Half-Sack) died last night. The sad irony of it happening two days after Opie’s death is not lost on me. It was a tragic end for an extremely talented guy, who unfortunately had lost his way. I wish I could say that I was shocked by the events last night, but I was not.
I am deeply sorry that an innocent life had to be thrown into his destructive path. Yes, it’s day of mourning, but it’s also a day of awareness and gratitude. Sadly, some of us carry the message by dying.
And Sutter is right not be “shocked”. It turns out that Lewis had been getting into serious trouble for some time.
Not only had he JUST gotten out of jail for assault with a deadly weapon, but he pled guilty to first degree burglary earlier this year.
Rumors point toward a dangerous drug addiction as the cause of his downward spiral. Considering the two people he attacked with a piece of wood just before his death say he was displaying “superhuman strength”, the explanation makes sense.
No one knows what was going on in his head just yet, but an officer at the scene confirmed, “There was obviously something wrong with him.”
It’s sad to see a person fall this far from success, but it’s even sadder that he had to take someone else down with him.
Our hearts still go out to everyone affected by this awful situation.
[Image via FX.]
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