Actor/stuntman Malcolm Xerxes committed suicide at age 40. The Toronto police were looking for Mr. Xerxes as a suspect in the shooting of his girlfriend. The police later received a call to a park where Mr. Xerxes had shot himself. He died later of the wound.

His girlfriend is still alive in a Toronto hospital.

This turn of events is very shocking to his many friends and fans. Malcolm Xerxes was very accessible to fans. Why? Because he was a fan of sci-fi and horror like millions of ordinary people.

Mr. Xerxes took an active part in a number of message boards as well as his own website. He was also a frequent guest at a number of fan conventions and did not put up the barrier between himself and the public as do many other celebrities.

Though he may not have been as well known as other stars who frequent fan conventions, he was beloved more than most because he did make the effort to connect with his public. He did it in a sincere manner.

If you go to the Malcolm Xerxes website, you may get another impression. Of course, the website is designed to promote him as an actor. There is a certain amount of what we in the legal profession call puffing. That didn't matter to fans.