Jill Messick, former manager of Rose McGowan and executive and producer at Miramax and Lorne Michaels Productions, died on Wednesday in Los Angeles.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, her family confirmed the death was by suicide.
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Messick had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had reportedly been battling depression for years.
Messick producer credits include She’s All That, Frida, Mean Girls, Hot Rod, Baby Mama, and Masterminds, along with the 2014-15 television series Bad Judge. She was also rumored to be the producer on the 2019 film adaptation of the video game Minecraft.
She was also McGowan’s manager in January 1997, the time period where McGowan claims she was raped by producer Harvey Weinstein at the Sundance Film Festival.
Messick’s name had previously been brought up by Weinstein’s attorney during the ongoing legal battle between the Charmed actress and the former co-founder of The Weinstein Company.
Her family released a statement following her suicide, chastising both Weinstein and McGowan.
“Jill was victimized by our new culture of unlimited information sharing and a willingness to accept statement as fact,” the statement read. “The speed of disseminating information has carried mistruths about Jill as a person, which she was unable and unwilling to challenge. She became collateral damage in an already horrific story.”
“Jill believed in the Movement. She supported every woman finally coming forward to share their dark truths and expose those who had committed previously unspeakable deeds. She was loyal. She was strong. Jill was many things, but she was not a liar,” the statement added.
The statement went on to defend Messick’s actions when McGowan first came to her with accusations against Weinstein.
“Seeing her name in headlines again and again, as part of one person’s attempt to gain more attention for her personal cause, along with Harvey’s desperate attempt to vindicate himself, was devastating for her,” the family wrote. “It broke Jill, who was just starting to get her life back on track. What makes Rose’s inaccurate accusations and insinuations against Jill ironic was that she was the first person who stood up on Rose’s behalf, and alerted her bosses to the horrific experience which Rose suffered. Twenty years ago, as a very junior person in a management company hierarchy, Jill exhibited her integrity in doing the right thing – she raised the red flag with the heads of her firm. In the face of inappropriate behavior, Jill handled the situation appropriately.”
Photo Credit: Twitter / @THR
