Australian television anchor Erin Jayne Plummer died by suicide. Just days after the Studio 10 co-host passed away suddenly at the age of 42, Plummer’s friends confirmed her cause of death as they opened up about her long battle with mental illness and her final days.
Plummer’s friends spoke out about her passing in a series of tribute posts shared in the days since her passing. In one post, reported on by the Daily Mail, one of the TV presenter and infomercial host’s friends revealed that Plummer struggled with her mental health during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and had not been her “bouncy, energetic self” in recent weeks. That same friend added, “‘I wish we had found her a way through.” Other friends of Plummer shared similar sentiments, with one saying that they believed Plummer would “bounce back,” as she had done before. Plummer’s friends revealed that the TV host passed away “following a long and drawn out mental health battle,” according to the outlet.
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“I want to share her pain,” one friend said in a tribute post. “She hated nothing more than being a burden. I wish she knew it was a weight we were happy to help carry.”
Plummer passed away on May 22. Her death was first confirmed by her friends. Few details have been shared in the days since. Plummer is survived by her husband and their three daughters, with one friend writing that Plummer “loved her girls boundlessly.” Plummer’s father, Peter Gard, wrote in a tribute post of his own that Plummer’s daughters are “little mini versions of her… Newer versions of Erin in the blocks. Jazzy’s a rocket… just as tall as me and size 12 feet… or flippers.”
Following her passing, the community has rallied their support around Plummer’s husband and children. The community has created a meal donation program and schedule to bring the family dinner every night through the end of July. They have also offered to help out around the house and with school and sport drop-offs. A GoFundMe page has also been created to support the family. That page has raised more than $27,000 of its initial $5,000 goal.
Plummer was a well-known TV presenter. She hosted advertorial content on Studio 10, broadcaster Channel 10’s morning show, for over two decades. Her broadcasting career began when she was “plucked from a Sydney beach” to star in a tourism campaign, according to her colleague Angela Bishop. Plummer also served as a spokesperson for Aerobics Oz Style and hosted shows for MTV, Guest TV, TVSN, Totally Active TV, and Channel 10 Sport for the Nutri-Grain Ironman Series and appeared in several commercials for other brands.
If you or someone you know is 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.
