Tatyana Ali and Late Actor Jonathan Brandis's Relationship Timeline, Explained
The actors dated for six years.
Young starlets fall in love
They met at a mutual friend's Halloween party in 1993. Two years later in 1995, they began dating. At the time their relationship began, Ali was 16, and he was 19.
A slow start
After their first meeting in 1993, they began as friends. They ran into each other at events. Ali was interested but kept her distance. As she told PEOPLE in 1996, "He was older, probably a lot more experienced. It was uncomfortable."
Conflicts arise
In the same 1996 interview with PEOPLE, Brandis admitted it wasn't easy being a Hollywood couple. "We go to a club, and nine times out of 10 there's a guy there hitting on her," he said. "She's good at getting rid of them, though." Many women threw themselves at Brandis.
The split
After six years of dating, they called it quits in 2001. Not much about their breakup is known.
A sad death
Brandis committed suicide by hanging in 2003, just two years after he and Ali split. Friends said he'd been very hard on himself.
Tatyana Ali reacts to her ex's death
The actress admitted she was angry with him for taking his own life. Greg Brandis, the late actor's father, suggested in a 2021 interview with PEOPLE that his son was "probably bipolar." He said at the time: "I look back now, and in his twenties, he showed signs of manic depression. I hope that anyone suffering can go get help."