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what happened to the actor who played frost on rizzoli and isles

The actor who played Detective Barry Frost on Rizzoli & Isles was Lee Thompson Young, and he tragically died in 2013 at the age of 29, leading the show to write his character’s death into the storyline in later seasons.

Who the actor was

Lee Thompson Young was an American actor who first became widely known as the star of the Disney Channel series The Famous Jett Jackson before joining Rizzoli & Isles as Detective Barry Frost in 2010.

He appeared in 56 episodes of the series and was a core member of the main cast until his death.

What happened to him

In August 2013, Young did not show up to work while Rizzoli & Isles was filming its fourth season, prompting concern from the production and a wellness check at his Los Angeles home.

Police then discovered that he had died, and reports at the time described his death as sudden and unexpected, deeply affecting his colleagues and fans.

How the show handled Frost’s absence

Because the actor had died in real life, the writers chose to have Detective Barry Frost die off-screen and addressed his death in season 5 of the show.

Characters mourn him in a funeral episode, and several fans have noted that the grief shown on screen felt especially real because the cast was also processing Young’s passing.

Legacy and later tributes

After his death, Young’s family created the Lee Thompson Young Foundation, which focuses on mental health awareness and reducing stigma around mental illness.

Fans of Rizzoli & Isles and The Famous Jett Jackson continue to share tributes and memories of his performances, keeping his work and impact alive in online discussions and retrospectives.

TL;DR: Lee Thompson Young, who played Frost on Rizzoli & Isles, died suddenly in 2013 at 29, and the series later wrote Frost’s death into the story and paid tribute to him on screen.

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