Entertainment

‘Rizzoli’ co-star dead in apparent suicide

Lee Thompson Young, one of the stars of TNT’s hit summer series “Rizzoli & Isles,” was found dead at his home in LA yesterday morning, an apparent suicide.

Thompson, 29, played Det. Barry Frost on the Angie Harmon drama, which has just been renewed for a fifth season.

Before shutting down production yesterday, executive producer Janet Tamaro released a statement.

“Everyone at ‘Rizzoli & Isles’ is devastated by the news of the passing of Lee Thompson Young. We are beyond heartbroken at the loss of this sweet, gentle, good-hearted, intelligent man. He was truly a member of our family.

“Lee will be cherished and remembered by all who knew and loved him, both on- and offscreen, for his positive energy, infectious smile and soulful grace,” she said.

“We send our deepest condolences and thoughts to his family, to his friends and, most especially, to his beloved mother.”

Producers are determining whether to take a hiatus so that the cast and crew can deal with the loss and the writers can come up with a way to write Thompson’s character out of the series.

Thompson was born in Columbus, SC, and got his first big break as the star of Disney Channel’s first original series, “The Famous Jett Jackson” (1998).

He had a handful of films to his credit, including the original “Friday Night Lights,” “Akeelah and the Bee,” and “The Hills Have Eyes 2.”