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Claude Lemieux‘s son opened up to cops about how the late hockey star’s family feared he might have relapsed into his struggles with sex addiction before he shockingly took his life.
Brendan Lemieux explained that they’d noticed “changes in his behavior” and that he was no longer cordial and friendly with people.
Close sources previously claimed that Claude Lemieux, who’s described as a “tough guy” on the ice, died of a broken heart as he was deeply sensitive to rejection.
Claude Lemieux’s son Brendan revealed that his late father seemingly spiraled back into his addiction issues before his death by suicide.
Newly released law enforcement body cam footage shows the moment Brendan was questioned by Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office investigators on May 28, where he detailed the days leading up to the sad passing of the NHL Legend.
“Long story short, my mom finds out that he’s not sober anymore. And that’s what triggered this tonight,” the 30-year-old HC Davos left winger can be heard telling cops in the clip, per the New York Post.
The officials then pressed him to know if his late father’s addiction issue was alcohol related, and Brendan explained, “When I say sober, he has more issues with — his most sober thing is sex addiction versus alcohol. I don’t even know if he’s been drinking.”
The Late Hockey Star’s Family Noticed A Change In His Behavior
Authorities revealed in May that the four-time Stanley Cup champion tragically hung himself to death at the age of 60, and his body was discovered at the family-owned furniture design business in Lake Park, Florida.
It was Brendan who made the discovery, having tracked his father’s location via cell phone because he was growing concerned for his well-being.
In his chat with the authorities, he said that Claude had been sober for more than a decade, but then his family had noticed a change in his behavior about a year ago, leaving himself and his mom Deborah to suspect the hockey legend had relapsed.
“We’ve noticed changes in his behavior, and recently, it’s spiraled completely,” Brendan told the cops, adding that Claude had been “lashing out” and completely stopped “being nice to people.”
Claude Lemieux And His Wife Reportedly Had A Verbal Altercation Over His Addiction Relapse
According to the New York Post, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that a cell phone containing a written note to his family was recovered at the scene.
They stated in the incident report that the messages “were heartfelt in nature, reflected sorrow for his decision, and were consistent with that of a suicide note.”
The report also revealed that Claude’s wife Deborah apparently confronted him about his suspected relapse, and when he confirmed it, she “asked him to leave the residence.”
When Brendan was made aware of the verbal altercation that had transpired between them, he then checked and noticed that his father’s location had changed to their family business.
It was at that point he drove over and discovered he’d passed at the back of the building.
Alongside the body, authorities said that they located an open bag of “bedtime gummies.” Standard toxicology tests later returned negative results for tested substances.
Close Family Sources Claim The Hockey Legend Died Of A Broken Heart
Claude enjoyed a storied 21-season career in the National Hockey League, winning Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, and Colorado Avalanche, as well as the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 1995.
Sources close to him gave reasons why they think he died of a broken heart, particularly as it concerns his being snubbed as an inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame after retiring in 2009.
According to the New York Post, the close insiders said Claude never got over the fact that he didn’t make it into the Hall of Fame, and has always had a bad relationship with rejection.
“He always lived this as an injustice, a heavy burden to bear,” Rejean Tremblay, a longtime Montreal hockey columnist and Claude’s close friend, said. “The sense of rejection ran deeper than one might have imagined. He took it very hard.”
He claimed that he also went 10 years without speaking to his children, another emotional weight that took its toll on his mental health.
“It hurt him tremendously,” Tremblay said.
Claude Lemieux Struggled With Depression
Claude’s family shared that he had also been dealing with depression, but they didn’t think it’d worsened to the point where he was planning to take his life.
“They didn’t expect that at all; they never saw it coming,” Colombe Lacroix, a close family friend, told the news outlet at the time. “He’s been going through a difficult time; he was depressed.”
“It’s so devastating, everyone is upside down,” she added. “Brendan is completely destroyed.”
The NHL Legend Claude Lemieux’s Son Tells Cops He ‘Spiraled Completely’ With ‘Sex Addiction’ Relapse Before His Tragic Death first appeared on The Blast
