FASHION
Obituary: Sam Sarpong, model and actor
Sam Sarpong, a model for the Tommy Hilfiger brand, a musician and an actor, committed suicide on Oct. 26 by jumping off the Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena, Calif.
Los Angeles Fashion Week audiences saw him in March when he acted as the master of ceremonies at the gala Boy London runway show at Style Fashion Week.
Sarpong’s death was confirmed by the Pasadena Police Department. On Oct. 26, social-media alerts warned the public to avoid the bridge area in the late morning due to police activity in the area.
It has not been confirmed whether Sarpong, 40, left a suicide note.
Sarpong was born in London to a Ghanian father and grew up in the Los Angeles area. In addition to modeling, Sarpong was a musician and an actor. He co-hosted the MTV reality show “Yo Momma,” which ran from 2006 to 2007. He occasionally appeared on major TV shows such as “ER,” according to the Internet Movie Database.
At last March’s runway show for Boy London, Sarpong sang and directed models around the runway as the master of ceremonies.
Sarpong also designed a line called Future Stars, and he cultivated a reputation for being a solid model who would embrace assignments no matter how different and unique the fashion.
Leisa Balfour, a stylist and Sarpong’s friend, said he was always busy. “He personified the word ‘hustle’ in this industry,” she said. “There was always something he was lending himself to. He was someone who every designer wanted in their show.”
Among Sarpong’s survivors is his sister June Sarpong, who is a popular TV host in Britain, and his father Samuel Sarpong Sr.
