Sarah Becker, MTV’s ‘Real World’ Star, Dies at 52

Sarah Becker, a former reality TV star who appeared in Season 5 of MTV‘s “The Real World,” has died. She was 52.

“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Sarah Becker,” an MTV spokesperson told People. “Our hearts go out to her family and friends in this time of grief.”

Becker’s family told TMZ that she died by suicide last week at her home in Illinois. She had recently moved to the area to take care of her family with the intention to move back to California in the future. According to her family, Becker was struggling with her mental health, as well as recovering from a skateboarding accident.

Becker joined “The Real World” in 1996 for its fifth season, which took place in Miami, Fla. At the time, she worked as an editor at Wildstorm Comics in La Jolla, Calif. Becker described herself in a “Real World” promo as “a 19-year-old trapped in a 25-year-old’s body.”

The reality series follows a group young adults from different backgrounds who become roommates for several months. During Becker’s season, she was paired with Joe Patane, Dan Renzi, Melissa Padrón, Mike Lambert, Cynthia Roberts and Flora Alekseyeva.

“I am beyond myself and sad to just hear that my roommate Sarah died. I can’t believe this. She was the most selfless person I knew. She was always so kind and helpful to everyone,” Alekseyeva wrote on Instagram. “I haven’t spoken to her in years and never knew she was troubled. My prayers go out to her family. RIP my roommate, my friend. May you skate with angels and never feel pain again.”

“Sarah and I had not spoken since the end of our show, so I don’t know anything about her struggles,” Renzi posted on Instagram. “The seven of us in that cast went through a bizarre, intense and sometimes traumatic experience together, and that creates a connection between people, even when they choose not to associate with each other. I can only say, it’s very sad.”

If you or anyone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources. More info here.

(Pictured: Dan Renzi, Sarah Becker, Melissa Padron, Flora Alekseyeun, Cynthia Roberts, Mike Lambert, Joe Patane)