Last night, Shawn Ryan, the creator of The Shield and co-creater of Last Resort, the show Ned Vizzini had previously written for, tweeted this:
Soon fans and friends alike began sharing their sorrow, as well as the joy Ned and his work brought into their lives:
In fact, one need only search "Ned Vizzini" on Twitter to watch the remembrances, condolences, and praise roll in.
Some were hesitant to believe the news, but earlier this afternoon The LA Times confirmed the loss:
Writer Ned Vizzini died Thursday at age 32 in New York, the city's medical examiner has confirmed. Vizzini committed suicide.
Our own Alanna Okun was herself affected by Ned Vizzini's work, and she shares it with us here:
I didn't know Ned Vizzini, but when we hear of one of our own's deaths we immediately think the worst. And far too often we are right. It's the holiday season, people. Be good to one another.
"Things to do today:
1) Breathe in.
2) Breathe out."
― Ned Vizzini, It's Kind of a Funny Story