Rick Warren Overwhelmed By Supportive Response To Son’s Suicide

Rick Warren feels overwhelmed by the supportive response to his son’s suicide.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Rick Warren’s son committed suicide. Matthew Warren, 27, struggled with mental illness for many years, battling depression and suicidal thoughts despite being remember for his playful spirit.

Rick Warren is the best-selling author of The Purpose Driven Life and other religious-themed inspirational books. His Los Angeles-area church is said to be the eight-largest in the US. About 20,000 worshippers attend services at the church each Sunday.

Rick Warren said he was overwhelmed by the love and support offered after the suicide of the youngest of his three children. Rick Warren tweeted a message to his one million followers on Twitter expressing his gratitude:

“Kay and I are overwhelmed by your love, prayers, and kind words. You are all encouraging our (hash)brokenhearts.”

Rick Warren says that after a “fun evening” as a family, Matthew took his life “in a momentary wave of despair at home.” Rick Warren wrote that he marveled at his son’s courage to keep going despite the pain:

“I’ll never forget how, many years ago, after another approach had failed to give relief, Matthew said, ‘Dad, I know I’m going to heaven. Why can’t I just die and end this pain?’ But he kept going for another decade.”

Allison O’Neal, supervising deputy coroner for Orange County, would not release the cause and manner of death pending an autopsy planned for Tuesday.