Elizabeth Hurley Reacts After Ex Steve Bing, the Father of Her Son, Dies by Suicide

Elizabeth Hurley is “saddened beyond belief” after her ex, producer and financier Steve Bing, died by suicide at the age of 55 Monday. The actress, who shares 18-year-old son Damian with Bing, took to Instagram Tuesday with a loving tribute to the father of her son, saying they had become “close again” over the past year after a difficult past in which Bing contested the paternity of his son.

“I am saddened beyond belief that my ex Steve is no longer with us. It is a terrible end,” she wrote alongside old photos from when she and Bing were a couple. “Our time together was very happy and I’m posting these pictures because although we went through some tough times, it’s the good, wonderful memories of a sweet, kind man that matter.” Hurley concluded that after repairing their relationship over the last year, things were better in their family, and that she last spoke with Bing on Damian’s 18th birthday in April. She concluded, “This is devastating news and I thank everyone for their lovely messages.”

Bing, who founded Shangri-La Entertainment, produced films like Rock the Kasbah, Hotel Noir and Rules Don’t Apply. Multiple outlets reported that Bing was found dead at the base of a luxury apartment building in Century City, California, on June 22. Police have reported his death a suicide, although a final determination for a cause of death and identification of the deceased is pending.

Hurley and Bing’s son Damian thanked his followers for their kind messages after receiving the “devastating news” of his father’s death. He wrote in his own Instagram tribute Monday, “I’m trying to reply to as many of you as I can, but please know I will always remember your kindness. This is a very strange and confusing time and I’m immensely grateful to be surrounded by my phenomenal family and friends.”

Bing was also praised as a man with a “big heart” by former President Bill Clinton. “I loved Steve Bing very much. He had a big heart, and he was willing to do anything he could for the people and causes he believed in,” he wrote on Twitter Monday. “I will miss him and his enthusiasm more than I can say, and I hope he’s finally found peace.”

If you or someone you know are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741.