Dr. Fredric Brandt, the famed celebrity dermatologist who was found hanging at his Miami home Sunday morning, might have been devastated by Tina Fey's new comedy show Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, but it was not the cause of his suicide, according to reports.
Jacquie Trachtenberg, Brandt's longtime publicist, admitted the "Baron of Botox" was upset about Martin Short's portrayal of a crazed plastic surgeon named Dr. Franff on the hit Netflix series.
"The show definitely deeply hurt him; he was being made fun of because of the way he looks," Trachtenberg told Page Six. "It is mean, and it was bullying," she added, "but the show was not the reason for his depression, and it was not the reason he would take his own life."
Brandt, whose celebrity clients included Madonna and Kelly Rippa, was claimed to have been suffering from depression prior to his death. His close friend John Joseph Hupert, who first discovered the body, told police that his doctor friend had been taking medication for depression, according to People.
The publication said the Miami police also contacted Dr. Saida Y. Koita, Brandt's psychiatrist, who revealed she had been treating Brandt for depression during the last 10 days. Despite his pain, Brandt seemed to have kept his struggles to himself. Most of the people close to him claimed they only saw his joyful persona, even in the last months leading up to his death, reported People.
Brandt's long-term friends Dr. Pedro Portal and his wife Gloria said they had kept in touch with him for years. "I never saw him depressed," Gloria, who had visited him only a few months back, told the publication. "Every time I saw him, it was quite the contrary - he was happy and helpful."
However, another source close to Brandt shared that the well-known celebrity dermatologist and plastic surgeon "was depressed and felt lonely because he had no solid relationship of his own." In addition, Brandt was said to have been feeling down in recent months as he did not feel appreciated by his clients.
"He said the entire business had changed, and with shifts in the industry that he disliked, he got himself into a funk," the source told People. "He couldn't handle the changes. He felt all alone."
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