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Marie Osmond has had to face many personal obstacles in the public limelight. She has shared openly about her divorce, about her battle with post-partum, and she even continued to perform on “Dancing With the Stars” after her father’s death. Through it all, Marie Osmond has always been a picture of strength and composure, citing her Mormon faith as a help to get through hard times.
But now she is facing perhaps the biggest loss of her personal life, as her eighteen-year-old son Michael jumped from the eighth floor of his apartment building and committed suicide. Michael had entered rehab a few years ago for undisclosed reasons, but it seems from the information being reported by several media outlets that depression was at the heart of this desperate act.
It also marks the second celebrity-related suicide in the past week as former “Growing Pains” star Andrew Koenig committed suicide last week. Our prayers are certainly with the Osmonds and yet this news also reinforces the thoughtful words of fellow blogger Ellen this week as she reminded us all that mental health issues perhaps carry more of a stigma than drug abuse and issues like depression are on the rise.It’s a topic that needs to be better addressed in faith communities, and I only this story becomes another important talking point for that discussion.