Henry J Deutschendorf II, Baby Oscar From ‘Ghostbusters II,’ Dies of Suicide

Actor who shared role with his twin brother hung himself, medical examiner’s office says

henry eutschendorf baby oscar ghostbusters 2

Henry J. Deutschendorf II, one of two twin boys who played Baby Oscar in the 1989 film “Ghostbusters II,” took his own life at his Escondido, Calif., home last week, a spokeswoman for the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office told TheWrap on Wednesday. He was 29.

According to the medical examiner’s office, Deutschendorf died from suicide by hanging.

Deutschendorf shared the role of Baby Oscar with his twin brother William. According to Yahoo, the siblings went on to run a martial arts school in San Diego.

According to the medical examiner’s office, Deutschendorf was found June 14 “suspended by a ligature around his neck in his closet by his brother.” The medical examiner’s office noted that he “had a long history of depression.”

William Deutschendorf told TMZ that his brother, who was named for his uncle John Denver (who was born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr.), had long suffered from schizoaffective disorder. The illness, a combination of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, caused Deutschendorf to experience hallucinations, delusions, depression and mania. William Deutschendorf told TMZ that his brother “fought for his life every day.”

In an online tribute to his brother, William noted that Deutschendorf was diagnosed in August 2008.

“If you knew Hank before his diagnosis, you knew a young man who was upbeat, healthy, witty, kind, outgoing, and was always ready to stand up for people. Medication curbed the delusions but it did not stop the voices. The side effects of the medication took a toll on Hank,” William wrote. “He felt like a zombie, lost his personality, gained weight quickly, slept for twelve hours a day, and had to use all of his willpower just to lift his hand to drink a cup of water. My brother was left with a bandaid for a gunshot wound.”

In addition to “Ghostbusters II,” Deutschendorf and his brother appear in the documentary “Cleanin’ Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters.”

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