American fashion model, Jeremy Ruehlemann died from an accidental drug overdose on Saturday, January 21, after a years-long addiction to prescription pills.
According to police, Jeremy was discovered ‘unconscious’ in the bathroom of his friend’s midtown Manhattan apartment Saturday morning.
The 27-year-old’s father Achim Ruehlemann confirmed his cause of death in an interview with DailyMail, a day after his son’s passing was announced on social media.
Speaking from his home in Waldwick, New Jersey, on Tuesday, the bereaved dad revealed Jeremy had struggled with addiction to the painkiller Percocet and other prescription drugs, and had gone to rehab in the past.
‘He did rehab and had tried to get off prescription medication,’ the father said, his face pale and eyes sunken from a lack of sleep since his son’s death.
‘Obviously, he was not successful.’
Ruehlemann, 59, also added that they are not ‘100 percent sure exactly what happened’ as they are still awaiting the results of the toxicology tests, but described the death as a tragic accident.
‘There was no desire to end his life, this was accidental,’ he said. ‘Obviously, he had some issues with drug addiction, but he was very happy. He loved life. He was very vibrant, a wonderful soul, and a very giving guy.
‘You could see what people are saying about him on social media,’ the grieving father continued, highlighting one Instagram post from fashion designer Christian Siriano who considered Jeremy to be his muse.
‘Siriano gave a very nice tribute,’ said the father, who works in manufacturing cosmetics.
‘I don’t know if there’s anybody who could say anything negative about him. It’s just a tragedy.
In a statement to DailyMail.com, the NYPD confirmed the younger Ruehlemann was discovered at his friend’s midtown Manhattan apartment after police received a 911 call at 9:50am on Saturday about an ‘unconscious male’.
Officers arrived to find the 27-year-old ‘unconscious and unresponsive’ in the bathroom and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The Medical Examiner’s Office is investigating the cause of death.
The friend, a young man, wiped tears from his eyes when approached by DailyMail.com.
‘He was one of my best friends,’ he said. ‘Despite everything that happened, he was happy.’
A funeral service for Ruehlemann will be held Saturday at Burnett & White Funeral Home in upstate Red Hook, New York. His wake will be on Friday, his family said.
His final Instagram post last week was a behind-the-scenes picture from a photo shoot with the Tommy Hilfiger brand, captioned, ‘BTS with Tommy.’
Jeremy had studied psychology at Rowan University, in his native New Jersey, but left before graduating in 2017 for a career in modeling.
The fashion model had been living with his mother for the past year in upstate New York and working as a bartender at a restaurant in Woodstock.
He’d often travel into the city for modeling jobs, staying with a brother or friend.
Jeremy had studied psychology at Rowan University, in his native New Jersey, but left before graduating in 2017 for a career in modeling.
The rising star’s father described his son as an avid reader who loved hiking and the outdoors.
One of his son’s greatest passions, he noted, was working as a counselor at Camp Omega, a sleepaway camp in upstate New York where Jeremy enjoying helping campers experiencing emotional difficulties.
