The Sun 
Edition 2RBMON 19 JAN 2004, Page Eire 19 

'Smash' actor in suicide alert 
By Richie Taylor 


A TOP American actor is feared to have committed suicide following a
harrowing road smash in Ireland.
Writer and comedian Spalding Gray suffered serious injuries in the
crash here two years ago.
Friends and family say he has been battling depression since then
and fear the worst after he tried to commit suicide in 2002.
Spalding, 62, famous for his Swimming To Cambodia show, sparked a
massive cop hunt when he disappeared from his New York apartment
eight days ago.
His brother Rockwell Gray said: "He has not been happy for a long
period. His mood has not been good since the accident."
He added that Spalding, right, has not recovered from his injuries.
He was reported missing last Sunday by his wife Kathleen Russo after
he failed to turn up at a friend's house the previous night and then
didn't board a flight at La Guardia Airport.
In the accident, Spalding claimed his hire car was hit head-on by a
van that rounded a corner on the wrong side of the road.
He included the story of the smash in his stage show Interrupting
Life.
Last year he told audiences that he was left lying in a pool of
blood for an hour before the ambulance service arrived.
He said: "My mood has changed because I am depressed. I feel I have
been maimed and there is no acknowledgement of it." 
Section:  HOME NEWS
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