What Is Christian Evans' Cause Of Death? Ricki Lake Shares Emotional Message After Ex-Husband's Death

Ricki Lake's ex-husband Christian Evans died Tuesday and the actress mourned his death by sharing an emotional message on her Instagram account. Lake said that he "succumbed to his life long struggle with bipolar disorder."

“It is with a heavy heart that I share that my beloved soulmate, Christian Evans has passed,” Lake, 48, wrote on the post along with their photo. “The world didn’t understand this man, but I did. He succumbed to his life long struggle with bipolar disorder.”

“For anyone who has ever lost a family member or friend to mental illness, my heart goes out to you. I am a greater person for having known him and spent the past 6 and a half years of my life with him,” she continued. “He was a man of love and what mends my broken heart today is knowing that he is finally at peace and his spirit is free.” She ended the post with: “Rest in peace, my love.”

Lake got engaged to Evans, a jewelry designer, in August of 2011 and eloped on April 8 the following year. The couple separated on Oct. 9, 2014, and "The Ricki Lake Show" star filed for divorce a week later, citing irreconcilable differences.

According to reports, Evans claimed in the divorce filing that Lake duped him in negotiating the prenuptial agreement and later tried to set it aside, asking for more than the couple initially agreed to.

During an interview with People Magazine in 2011, Lake described Evans as a “normal guy. We met through my best friend. He’s a nobody but he’s somebody to me. He’s everything to me.”

Lake was previously married to Rob Sussman but ended their 10 years of marriage in 2004. The duo had two sons together — Milo, 19, and Owen, 15.