Anna Daniels
David Strickland’s acting career was tragically short. He enjoyed one-off appearances during the ’90s, leading to popular recurring roles on the sitcoms Sister, Sister and Mad About You. But in 1996, he was tapped for the part he’ll forever be known for — as young, eager rock reporter Todd Stities on the Brooke Shields-led Suddenly Susan.
Behind the scenes, Strickland suffered from mental health and substance abuse issues. Speaking to People, Suddenly Susan co-star Nestor Carbonell said Strickland would relapse into drug use “once every two months, sometimes once every six months.” Carbonell went on to say Strickland would “have a bad episode, and we’d all worry about it for a night or two, and he’d resurface as if nothing had happened.”
Strickland was reportedly off his prescribed medication and upset about much of his role in the 1999 rom-com Forces of Nature being left on the cutting room floor when he and Andy Dick flew to Las Vegas in March 1999. The pair reportedly bounced from strip club to strip club, partying hard, and on March 22, Strickland was found in his motel room where he’d hanged himself with a bed sheet.
On Suddenly Susan, the decision was made to make art imitate life. On the season three finale, “A Day in the Life,” Stitie’s co-workers panic when he goes missing. They tell stories about Todd, interspersed with clips of out-of-character interviews with the cast. The episode ends with the police calling to report Stitie’s fate, which is left ambiguous.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Written by: Looper
