Crown Media Kirby Morrow with Rachel Boston on Ring by Spring.
Hallmark actor Kirby Morrow died on November 18 at the age of 47. His brother, Casey Morrow, revealed Kirby Morrow’s cause of death in a Facebook post, along with a journal entry that Kirby Morrow wrote where he spoke more about his day-to-day struggles. Morrow was known not only for his Hallmark Channel roles, but also for voicing many anime characters and for a role on Stargate: Atlantis. He died on November 18, just eight days after his father died.
Kirby Morrow’s Brother Said He Died from a ‘Long History of Substance Abuse’
Crown MediaKirby Morrow on Ring by Spring.
Casey Morrow wrote on Facebook that his brother’s body “could not keep up” after a long history of substance abuse.
He wrote:
I have crafted these first lines a million times in my head and just as many times started keying them in and the sadness followed by the anger always convinced me to stop.
We all want answers and to find some explanation, some closure some sense in the senselessness of all this. The coroner tells us that Kirby died from a long history of substance abuse. And his body finally could not keep up.
Morrow also added that he was very proud of his brother, and that he was an amazing person.
Words can’t express how proud I was of Kirby. Not the famous Kirby, not the great athlete Kirby not the guy everyone loved to party with Kirby, but the guy he was when he was not doing that for everyone else. All great accomplishments and definitely note worthy in the final chapter of his life. But not how I really saw my amazing brother.
The Kirby many of you didn’t know or see. The one who made friends with everyone who needed a friend. The one who cared so deeply for his family and often did not know how to show it. The amazing Uncle Kirby who loved Taya unconditionally. The true friend to so many people when they really needed someone. The one who gave so much during his regular day of being “Kirby” for everyone else, there often was nothing left in the tank for himself or those who cared about him the most. It was a great source pain for him yet he dealt with it daily and for so many years amazingly.
Casey Morrow Shared a Journal Entry that Kirby Morrow Wrote in 2007 Where He Talked About His Substance Abuse Struggles
Crown MediaKirby Morrow with Rachel Boston on Ring by Spring.
Morrow then shared a journal entry that Kirby Morrow wrote on April 27, 2007, that he found on his computer. He said there were only two posts on Kirby Morrow’s computer, and he believes that his brother would want this one publicly shared. Here’s what Kirby Morrow wrote:
Captains Log…..blah, blah, blah!
If there is any one constant in my life, it is the overwhelming moments of reality that remind me I am never completely in control of my own mind!!! Sober, drunk, high…it’s all the same. What seems absolutely clear one moment is disregarded later as bunk….and vice versa. I think the whole time while I write these words, not of their validity as much as how they will be perceived by a the strangers who will one day, undoubtedly read this….which I know is detrimental to my own development, growth and even sanity. What makes me so sure that people will even care about what I think or what I’ve done? I’ll tell you what! It’s the same “thing” that makes my best friend feel completely inadequate and “ugly” when he is with me in public. I have something! Something I have known my whole life that makes me unique. I can’t label it with a word or phrase or emotion…and in fact, it could simply be the belief that I have this “thing” which creates the “thing” itself. I reflect on the words of Zoe…”Are you always so confident?” Wow! Insecure little me? CONFIDENT? LOL LOL LOL…My college theories are thus being proven right, over and over again. Confidence is the greatest character trait, asset and overall friend that any person can have. We all suffer from insecurities…but it is those confident, cocky even despicably egotistical people we may despise on the surface, but admire and even long to be ( for lack of better/more intelligent wording.
Now, back to our show!
Casey Morrow then shared a few words of thanks to Kirby Morrow’s friends and family who have reached out.
Thank you to all of you who were part of his life and fed him the energy he needed. And for all your kindness, love and friendship to our family as we find our way through all this. You are all appreciated.
We will all grieve and deal with his loss in our own way. I ask you all to look at it as Kirby would have. Let everyone do what they need and support each other. Be there for each other.
If you see a friend or family struggling be there for them no matter how tough it is. Kirby loved you all and would want you all to carry and spread that love in his name.
One person wrote in response to Casey Morrow’s post: “He was a once in a lifetime person and I’m forever grateful for the impact he’s made on my life. I feel like a part of him will always live on in me as his words, actions, and friendship at the highest level is imprinted on me forever.”
Another person replied: “This is beautiful Casey. A well written tribute by you for Kirby and by Kirby for you, his loved ones and for him. Substance addiction does not discriminate and that is what so many forget. No matter who or what we are…. it can happen to anyone. Keep hugging and loving one another. My heart goes out to your family and everyone affected by addiction.”
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