Antwone Fisher Actor Commits Suicide

De'Angelo Wilson found hung to death in Los Angeles

De'Angelo Wilson should have had an inspiring story of his own.

On Nov. 26, the Antwone Fisher actor was found dead in the back room of a Los Angeles business. Wilson, 29, hanged himself.

The Dayton, Ohio, native grew up poor and in foster homes. He was studying acting at Kent State University in 2001 when he landed the gig in the Denzel Washington-helmed Fisher. That led to another high-profile project, as Mekhi Phifer's brother in Eminem's 8 Mile. But work became harder to come by.

"He got depressed," Wilson's mother, Debra, told the Dayton Daily News. "His career kind of failed and I think he was beating himself up. Things were real down and he just didn't know how to pick himself up."

When Debra Wilson was notified of her son's suicide, she lacked the funds to bring him back to Ohio for burial. The actor's L.A.-based friends—including the real Antwone Fisher—paid to send his body home.