Actor, Singer And TV Personality L’il Chris Dies By Believed Suicide Aged 24
Actor, singer and TV personality Chris Hardman, whose stage name was Lil’ Chris, has died aged 24. The cause of death is believed to be suicide.
Hardman rose to fame on Channel 4 series Rock School in 2006 and went on to star in the stage premiere of James Bourne and Elliot Davis’s musical Loserville.
Speaking to WhatsOnStage, Davis said it was “awful, awful news”, and confirmed that Hardman suffered from depression.
“He was a super talented guy, so naturally gifted,” Davis added. “He just had something that the nation saw and it catapulted him to early fame, which perhaps caused problems.”
As Lil’ Chris – a nickname he picked up on Rock School – he released his debut album in 2006. Davis described him as a “fantastic” songwriter. He subsequently hosted his own talkshow Everybody Loves Lil’ Chris on Channel 4.
In Loserville, which premiered at West Yorkshire Playhouse in summer 2012 before transferring to the West End’s Garrick Theatre, he played Francis Weir.
“When you work with people on shows you become a close family very quickly,” said Davis. “He suffered from depression and like many people had struggled to find a way through it.”
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