Rose McGowan‘s former manager, 50-year-old Jill Messick, has died by suicide. Messick had been diagnosed with bipolar and had been battling depression for years. Her family have released a statement placing the blame for her death on McGowan and Harvey Weinstein, who they say dragged Messick’s name into the public spotlight with devastating consequences.
Messick was McGowan’s manager in January 1997, when McGowan alleges Weinstein raped her at the Sundance Film Festival.
In McGowan’s new memoir, Brave, she claims that it was Messick who set up the meeting with Weinstein, calling it “a trap“, and saying that afterwards, “she counselled me to see it as something that would help my career in the long run“.
Weinstein’s lawyer has recently released an email attributed to Messick, which appears to defend Weinstein against the allegations, saying that McGowan referred to the encounter as a regretted consensual act.
Messick’s family have released a lengthy and heartbreaking statement, saying that Messick had just begun to recover from a manic episode when her name began appearing in the media:
Seeing her name in headlines again and again, as part of one person’s attempt to gain more attention for her personal cause, along with Harvey’s desperate attempt to vindicate himself, was devastating for her. It broke Jill, who was just starting to get her life back on track.
They point to the fact that Messick was one of “The Movement”s own, saying that as a junior member of her management company, she alerted her bosses to Weinstein’s misconduct towards Rose, at great personal risk to her career.
They’ve called for the media to exercise greater caution, saying they’ve seen “irresponsible choices and an addiction to sensationalism“, which can have terrible effects on the subjects of the stories.
Hollywood is mourning the loss of Messick, with industry members including M. Night Shymalan, Tina Fey and Mean Girls director Mark Waters expressing their grief.
If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide, call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or in an emergency, 000. For support with mental health issues, call BeyondBlue on 1300 22 4636.
