Actor Luke Westlake reportedly hung himself during the first round of coronavirus lockdowns, according to reports.
Westlake allegedly sent text messages to his ex-girlfriend threatening to take his life the night before he was found dead, according to a report published Thursday by The Sun. Westlake had been stressed about losing work due to the coronavirus lockdown, a coroner said during an inquest, the outlet reported.
Luke Westlake had been struggling with the loss of work during lockdown and the breakdown of a long-distance relationship https://t.co/VAuVTw7u06
— Metro Entertainment (@Metro_Ents) January 29, 2021
The cause of death was found to be hanging and a toxicologist discovered a substantial amount of THC in Westlake’s body, according to the outlet. (RELATED: ‘We Missed Catching The Signs’: 16-Year-Old Reportedly Committed Suicide After Struggles With Coronavirus Lockdown)
Westlake was reportedly attempting to seek therapy for childhood abuse before he allegedly committed suicide, but therapists wanted to work on his substance abuse, according to The Sun.
“Luke was aged 26 years at the time of his death. He had a history of anxiety and depression and substantial misuse by way of alcohol and cannabis, used as a coping mechanism,” the coroner said, according to the outlet.
“He had reported childhood abuse and did not agree with plans of clinicians to deal with substance abuse before he had some treatment for trauma when he was younger,” the coroner reportedly continued. “Luke found it difficult to deal with stressful triggers – his relationship and his employment. It was noted that it was not uncommon for him to threaten to harm himself – such an occasion occurred on June 17.”
The actor had attempted to commit suicide previously in April.
Westlake was set to star alongside Idris Elba in the BBC series “Luther.”