How Did Sam Sarpong Die? Model Found Dead From Apparent Suicide

Tommy Hilfiger model and “Yo Momma” host Sam Sarpong apparently committed suicide after jumping off a bridge Tuesday, Ed Winter, spokesman for the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner, confirmed to Us Weekly on Wednesday. Sarpong was 35.

Sarpong, a British-American actor, was the face of Tommy Hilfiger for several years. He was also the co-host of “Yo Momma,” an MTV show that also starred former “That '70s Show” star Wilmer Valderrama.

His management company issued a statement Wednesday. “Devastated to hear that our friend and client @mrsamsarpong is no longer with us,”they said. "Prayers and thoughts to the entire Sarpong family.”

In 2013 he told Black Hollywood Live how being a model changed his life. “I went from barely being able to pay my bills to now being an international model,” he said, according to Us Weekly. “I made a lot of money early. Luckily I had my father to guide me.”

But Sarpong was more than just a model and is credited with 76 acting gigs. Most recently, he appeared in the FX series “American Crime Story” and in two episodes of Fox's “Bones.” He is best known for his appearances in “Love Don’t Cost a Thing,” “Farm House,” “Grad Night” and “Nailed,” according to his profile on the Internet Movie Database. However, 1990s fans might know him best from the Claire Danes drama “My So-Called Life.”

On Instagram, Sarpong showed that he was still modeling. “It's that time of the year!!” he captioned a photo of him walking the runway to his 65,400 followers before his untimely death. Aside from Tommy Hilfiger, he also walked in fashion shows for Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, and Versace, New York magazine added.

Even though Sarpong wrote several posts about working, he said he three weeks ago that he was “taking a break.” “Life on the Grind....taking a break from set,” he wrote. He was in the middle of filming a new episode of “American Crime Story,” according to the IMDb, and was rumored to have been cast in the horror film “Angelz Landing.”

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