TV's 'Chico' critical after suicide attempt

LOS ANGELES (AP)--Television star Freddie Prinze, successful in his professional life but beset with personal problems, shot himself in the head Friday after a telephone conversation with his estranged wife.

The 22-year-old star of the "Chico and the Man" series was taken to UCLA Medical Center where he underwent surgery for two hours.

Richard Greene, administer of the hospital, said Prinze "tolerated the operative treatment well."

But he added, "Because brain tissue was severely damaged, it would be premature for us to offer a prediction as to the chances of survival or disability."

Greene said it may be several days before doctors make a prognosis.

Police Lt. Dan Cooke said the actor's business manager, Marvin Snyder, was in Prinze's suite at the Beverly Comstock Hotel in West Los Angeles, trying to cheer him, when the shooting occurred about 3:30 a.m. (PST).

"FREDDIE WAS talking to his wife on the telephone," Cooke said Snyder told him. "He hung up, reached down into the sofa, grabbed the gun and put it to his temple and fired."

Jack Albertson, the co-star of the series, said the young actor seemed upset lately about a lawsuit with his former manager and Prinze's November arrest on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of drugs.

Hospital officials said the bullet passed through Prinze's brain.

His wife, relatives and a dozen friends gathered on a hospital floor closed to reporters.

Prinze, whose swift climb to national fame began only a few years ago on New York's East Side at the comedy club improvisation, left an unaddressed, handwritten note discovered after the shooting.

"It was in general terms," Cooke said. "He just said he couldn't go on it was beyond him."

Prinze had been staying at the plush Comstock Hotel since he and his wife, Katherine, filed for divorce last month. They were married in Las Vegas in October, 1975, and have a 10-month-old son, Freddie. It was his first marriage and her third.

ALBERTSON, WHO was to have taped a "Chico" episode with Prinze Friday, said Prinze was known for his emotional highs and lows but never talked about suicide, "at least not to me."

"But he said, even in the very beginning of the series, that he expected not to get past the age of 30."

Prinze' action, he said, "seems such a tremendous waste. The kid had everything in the world to live for, regardless of his problems. The only thing we can do now is say a kind word for him, a prayer, that's all we can do."

Dallas Morning News, Dallas, TX 29 Jan 1977

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TV's Prinze dies from gun wound

LOS ANGELES (AP)--Comedian Freddie Prinze, star of television's "Chico and the Man," died Saturday, more than a day after he shot himself in the head, a hospital spokesman said.

Richard Greene, administrator of the UCLA Medical Center, said the 22-year-old Prinze die[sic] at 3 p.m. (CST), about 33 hours after he pumped a bullet through his brain as his horrified business manager looked on.

Greene said doctors notified family and friends shortly after Prinze's vital signs stopped.

Prinze, who has been kept alive by the use of life support systems, was pronounced dead when his central nervous system ceased functioning, doctors said.

Greene said "the wife and parents of Mr. Prinze wish to thank the many friends who have offered their prayers and support."

He said he would answer no further questions until the coroner had an opportunity to complete his report.

PRINZE'S DEATH ENDED a 1½ day vigil his family and about a dozen friends had kept in a makeshift waiting room at the hospital.

Prinze had been listed in critical condition since he was rushed to the hospital before dawn Friday. Doctors said the bullet passed through the head, causing massive brain damage.

While the young comedian lay near death Friday and Saturday, the hospital switchboard was flooded with telephone calls from across the nation. The callers, mostly young women, quietly asked about Prinze's condition and offered their prayers.

The star of the NBC-TV series had been depressed over the breakup of his year long marriage to 26-year-old Katherine Prinze, friends said. The couple filed for divorce last month.

It was she who Prinze telephoned early Friday from his West Los Angeles apartment. After the conversation, he pulled out a gun, placed the barrel to his right temple, and pulled the trigger.

Prinze's business manager, Marvin Snyder, watched in horror as his young friend tried to end his life.

Prinze had lived at the luxurious Comstock Hotel since the divorce action was filed last month.

Dallas Morning News, Dallas, TX 30 Jan 1977