“The Real World” alum Sarah Becker Takes Own Life at Age 52

Sarah Becker, best known for her time on MTV's The Real World, took her own life at 52 early last week at her home in Illinois.

Relatives told TMZ that Becker had been in Illinois since last year to take care of her mom and sister but had plans to return to California once she was able to.

She apparently began to suffer from mental health issues as she was taking care of her family and also suffered a bad accident while skateboarding. All of these things seem to have compounded until it pushed Becker over the edge.

Once news of her death spread, old coworkers and industry friends paid tribute to her.

Author Jeff Mariotte wrote, “I saw the news today that we’ve lost one of everyone’s favorite WildStorm folks, Sarah Becker. Even if you weren’t into comics in the 90s you might remember her from ‘The Real World’ (and from the opening episode of her season, some of which was filmed in our offices and at Sarah’s wild going-away party)."

Comic artist Alé Garza wrote, "I’ll never forget seeing your smile, as you rolled by the pit in roller skates, complementing (sic) me on my tall socks, making me blush. You were the one who discovered my art in a pile of photocopies, I owe it all to you..."

Becker's passing is a sobering reminder that mental health issues are real and can kill quickly. Americans should always remember to pay attention and check in on loved ones who are going through hard times.