Lady Gaga has apologised for speaking “too soon” about the circumstances surrounding the death of Rick Genest aka Zombie Boy, the tattooed model who appeared in her Born This Way video back in 2011.
32-year-old Genest passed away last week, with authorities discovering his body at his Montreal home on Wednesday (Canadian time). CBC initially reported that his death was being treated by police as a suicide. Gaga took to Twitter to pay tribute to her former muse, with the since-deleted tweet alluding to him taking his own life.
The suicide of friend Rick Genest, Zombie Boy is beyond devastating. We have to work harder to change the culture, bring Mental Health to the forefront and erase the stigma that we can’t talk about it. If you are suffering, call a friend or family today. We must save each other.
However, Genest’s manager Karim Leduc told People that those close to the model believe his death could have been accidental.
For us, the family and close entourage, we feel there’s too many inconsistencies around his death to rule it as a suicide, and for people to jump to conclusions that rapidly was disappointing.
Leduc added that Genest “didn’t leave any notes” and had “made plans for a couple things that week”.
In the wake of Leduc’s statement, Lady Gaga has posted another tweet on Genest’s death, walking back her comments that he died by suicide and apologising to his friends and family.
Out of respect for Rick’s family, Rick & his legacy I apologize if I spoke too soon as there was no witnesses or evidence to support any conclusion for the cause of his death. I in no way meant to draw an unjust conclusion My deepest condolences to his entire family and friends. pic.twitter.com/CJ9AdOJ22j
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) August 4, 2018
She followed up with another heartfelt tweet.
The art we made was sacred to me and I was emotional, he was an incredible artist and his art and heart will live on. Rest In Peace 🙏 You beautiful soul. pic.twitter.com/0gXTJ6cHYB
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) August 4, 2018
Montreal Police continue to investigate the death, and we will keep you updated on any developments.
If you or someone you know is dealing with mental illness, there are resources you can turn to including BeyondBlue (1300 22 4636), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800), Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467) and Lifeline (13 11 14).
