John Coughlin, champion U.S. figure skater, found dead one day after suspension
John Coughlin, a two-time U.S. champion figure skater, was found dead in Kansas City, Missouri, on Friday, one day after he was suspended from the sport.
Angela Laune, Coughlin’s sister, shared the news of his death in a Facebook post Friday night.
“My wonderful strong, amazingly compassionate brother John Coughlin took his own life earlier today,” Laune wrote on Facebook late Friday night. “I have no words. I love you John.”
Kansas City police found Coughlin’s body at 4:54 p.m. on Friday, USA Today reported. Police told the news site that Coughlin died by suicide.
The 33-year-old figure skater twice won the U.S. pairs championship, in 2011 with Caitlin Yankowskas and in 2012 with Caydee Denney. He started figure skating with the Kansas City Figure Skating Club and played a major role in making Kansas City the host of the 2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, The Kansas City Star reported.
We are stunned at the news of the death of two-time U.S. pairs champion John Coughlin. Our heartfelt and deepest sympathies are with his father Mike, sister Angela and the rest of his family. Out of respect to the family, we will have no further comment until a later time.
— U.S. Figure Skating (@USFigureSkating) January 19, 2019
twitter-url="https://twitter.com/JohnnyGWeir/status/1086633664237240320" columns="1" hidemedia="No"%
Dalilah Sappenfield, Coughlin’s former coach, mourned the figure skater’s death in a Facebook post. She described him as a “big loving teddy bear” and “one of the good guys.”
“It was so very difficult for him and all those who loved him to see his name and reputation being dragged through the mud these past few weeks, without any due process,” Sappenfield wrote.
“It was so very sad and tragic for me to see his life turned upside down in a matter of weeks, to the point where he felt alone, lost, and desperate that he no longer had it in him to fight.”
Randy Gardner, a two-time Olympic figure skater and a U.S. pairs champion, told CNN on Saturday that Coughlin’s death was “tragic any way you look at it.”
“With the allegations still unknown, we have yet to know the pressure he may have been under,” Gardner said. “I hate to hear of this as we’re also trying to protect the athletes in our sport.”
If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can also text HOME to 741-741 for free, 24-hour support from the Crisis Text Line. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention for a database of resources.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
