If you’re a fan of sitcoms, then you’ve likely taken some time to watch Everybody Loves Raymond. Love it or hate it, the show was a booming success in its prime, and Ray Romano is still collecting checks from the show. No, the show was not free of scandal, and the cast even staged a walkout at one point, but it was a huge hit for the network.
The show had a number of young stars, including Sawyer Sweeten, who played one of the Barone children. Sadly, Sweeten’s life following the show ended in tragedy. We have the details below.
‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ Was A Huge Show
During the 1990s, Everybody Loves Raymond made its official debut on the small screen. The show was having to contend with other hit sitcoms during that decade, but it was able to land a loyal audience that propelled it to huge success on TV.
Starring Ray Romano and a gang of performers who played their roles perfectly, Everybody Loves Raymond was a safe sitcom that people of all ages could enjoy. There were plenty of other great sitcoms for fans to enjoy, but many could not get enough of the Barone clan on the show.
For 9 seasons and over 200 episodes, the show was a force on the small screen. Even after it wrapped, it was in heavy syndication, and at one point, it felt like this show was always airing an episode on at least on TV station throughout the day.
As we mentioned already, the cast on the show was exceptional. The focus was on the adult performers, sure, but the child stars were great in their own right.
Sawyer Sweeten Was Featured On The Series
Like any good sitcom family, the Barones had several children under their rood. However, unlike other sitcoms, the young actors playing these kids were more than just on-screen siblings.
According to Nine, “Brothers Geoffrey and Michael Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond were played by real-life identical twins Sawyer and Sullivan Sweeten. They were just 16 months old when they were cast in 1996 and played the roles until the final episode in 2005. In total, they appeared in 142 episodes of the show. Their big sister, Madylin Sweeten, also starred in the sitcom as their onscreen sister Ally Barone.”
This is quite a unique fact for the show. It’s common to see a set of twins used in acting, but to actually cast a trip of siblings is practically unheard of.
As the site stated, the trio were on the show for years, and they were a core part of the primary cast. Sure, the adults were the center of attention, but the kids were featured regularly, and they added depth to the series.
Sadly, things would change drastically once the series came to an end.
Sawyer Sweeten Took His Life
The twins eventually left Hollywood behind, and in 2015, 10 years after the series concluded, Sawyer Sweeten took his life.
“This morning a terrible family tragedy has occurred. We are devastated to report that our beloved brother, son, and friend, Sawyer Sweeten, took his own life. He was weeks away from his 20th birthday. At this sensitive time, our family requests privacy and we beg of you to reach out to the ones you love,” said the family in a statement.
Sweeten’s co-stars from the show publicly expressed their sympathies and support of the family following the tragic event.
In 2019, his older sister and fellow co-star, opened up about her brother’s passing while speaking with Voyage LA.
“Like any human on this crazy planet, I’ve had my struggles. I was much less prone to notice them however before the premature death of my brother Sawyer. My brother was a funny young man who also hated a lot of things. One day he was just different, he didn’t like anything anymore. It happened fast, over a few weeks, and then he was gone. He took his own life, and we were blindsided,” Sweeten said.
She then dished on what could have been.
“I can’t remember if I had ever had a serious conversation about suicide with anyone before that, and I don’t think he had either. Maybe if he had known it was treatable, he would have asked for help, or maybe he would not have, but those spiraling thoughts are what really makes that particular mode of death so difficult,” she added.