Sebastian Kidder, the stepson of WWE legend Ric Flair, has reportedly died by suicide. He was 24.
Kidder’s mother and Flair’s fifth wife, Wendy Barlow, confirmed her son’s Saturday death by gunshot wound at their Georgia home to TMZ.
“I am devastated and shocked,” she told the outlet. “This is an epidemic with your young men. And mental health…”
The up-and-coming musician’s death comes about a month after Flair announced on social media that he and Barlow were splitting up after “13 great years,” starting when Kidder was a teen. Flair also encouraged his stepson’s music career, Newsweek reported.
Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images
Wendy Barlow and Ric Flair attend a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans at Staples Center on February 25, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
In announcing their split, Flair thanked Barlow for standing by him during his 2017 health scare, but said they had “decided to part ways respectfully,” he posted. “We both are working on different projects at the current time & it becomes difficult with my schedule & her schedule to make this work. I wish her the best of luck with her projects, and I know that she supports mine!”
Flair had been hospitalized in critical condition in August 2017 with multiple organ problems, Barlow said at the time. He underwent surgery and later admitted the root of his problems had been alcoholism. The retired WWE star had not yet commented publicly on his stepson’s death by Sunday evening.
Kidder was also an actor, with appearances in several film and television projects that included a childhood guest spot on “The Walking Dead.”
Just hours before his death, Kidder had posted two photos of him in a dimly lit room, in one of them strumming a guitar. There were no comments or captions with either image.
“There are no words to express the pain I am feeling from the loss of my Baby,” she wrote. “Mommy Loves you.”
