Sarah Becker, a reality TV star known for her appearance on the fifth season of MTV’s The Real World, has tragically died by suicide at the age of 52, as reported by TMZ. A family member confirmed her passing, which occurred early last week at her home in Illinois.
Becker had relocated to Illinois to care for her ailing mother and sister, with plans to eventually move to California. Recently, she had been struggling with mental health issues exacerbated by her caregiving responsibilities and a skateboarding accident.
Professionally, Becker carved out a career as a comic book editor. At 25, she became a cast member on The Real World’s 22-episode season in 1996. Despite her initial reservations, she joined the cast as a “19-year-old trapped in a 25-year-old body,” according to her MTV bio. Becker’s season took place in Miami, where she lived with seven other young adults: Dan Renzi, Melissa Padrón, Joe Patane, Cynthia Roberts, Flora Alekseyeun, and Mike Lambert.
Flora Alekseyeun, one of her co-stars, paid tribute to Becker on Instagram, describing her as “the most selfless person I knew” and expressing shock over her struggles. “My prayers go out to her family. RIP my roommate, my friend. May you skate with angels and never feel pain again,” Alekseyeun wrote.
The Real World, an MTV reality show, ran for 33 seasons until 2016, making it one of the longest-running reality shows in history. Each season was set in a different city, following a group of young adults from diverse backgrounds as they lived together for several months. Becker’s season was notable for its unique twist: the cast had to start a business together from their luxurious waterfront house in South Beach.
In 1997, Becker shared with the Chicago Tribune that she was uncomfortable with the fame brought by the show, often wearing a hood in public to avoid recognition. “For me, ‘The Real World’ was a six-month-long vacation,” she said. “I knew from the get-go that it couldn’t be a stepping stone to bigger and better things. I want my own magazine someday, and I don’t think Sarah from ‘The Real World’ is going to have anything to do with that.”
Becker initially applied to The Real World as a joke and was surprised when she was accepted. Despite her reservations, she found the experience to be positive, stating, “It was a blast. And I learned that I’m pretty happy about who I am.”
Following her time on The Real World, Becker continued her career as a comic book editor at WildStorm Comics in La Jolla, California. She was credited as the editor on numerous comic series during the 1990s. Friends and colleagues took to social media to honor her memory after her death was made public. Jeff Mariotte, former Vice President of Marketing at WildStorm, remembered her as someone who “added sunshine to every room she entered.”
Another friend, Daniel Norton, described Becker as “made of pure sunshine,” highlighting her warmth and the joy she brought to those around her.
Becker’s family described her as a selfless individual who always took care of others. Her untimely death at 52 leaves a void in the lives of those who knew and loved her.