Dr. Fredric Brandt, known as the Baron of Botox because of his work with celebrities ranging from Madonna to Kelly Ripa, was found dead in his Miami home on Sunday night. He was 65.
“He passed away this morning. He was suffering from an illness. Everyone who knows him is devastated,” his longtime publicist Jacquie Trachtenberg told The New York Post. She suggested (but didn’t confirm) he took his life.
The Miami Herald‘s Lesley Abravanel elaborated on Twitter that sources close to Fredic “say that illness was depression,” which was reportedly spurred on by comparisons to Martin Short’s Dr. Franff character in The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Allure‘s contributing editor at large Joan Kron, who was friends with Fredric for decades, also said he was “very hurt by comments about his face.”
“When I spoke to him recently, he was particularly upset about a character in the Netflix comedy The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, a dermatologist widely believed to be a fictionalized version of him,” Joan said. “Professionally, Brandt was known for his light touch, and he frequently saw patients who’d had bad experiences with other, overzealous doctors.”
Publicist Jacquie later confirmed Fredic was hurt by the Netflix show.
“The show definitely deeply hurt him, he was being made fun of because of the way he looks,” his representative said. “It is mean, and it was bullying.”
However, Jacquie was quick to add that the show “was not the reason for his depression” and “was not the reason he would take his own life.” She said she hopes he’s remembered as an amazing man, brilliant doctor and “the kindest human being,” rather than for the TV character.
