Sad news: British-American actor and model and beloved member of the BET family Sam Sarpong has died of an apparent suicide. He was 40 years old. Sarpong died on Tuesday after jumping off a bridge. 
London-born and of Ghanaian descent, Sarpong moved to Los Angeles at a young age to pursue his dreams of breaking into Hollywood. He was best known for hosting the BET Awards All Access pre-show for seven years in a row. He was also the face of Tommy Hilfiger and host of MTV's Yo Momma, alongside Wilmer Valderrama. 
Besides modeling and hosting, Sarpong had a flourishing acting career. He has a minor role in the upcoming series American Crime Story, and, this past spring, appeared in two episodes of Bones. He has also had roles on hit shows such as My So-Called Life, Boston Public, Veronica Mars, Everybody Hates Chris, Cold Case, and 24. He played Kadeem in 2003’s Love Don’t Cost a Thing alongside Nick Cannon and Christina Milian. 
“I went from barely being able to pay my bills to now being an international model,” Sarpong told Black Hollywood Live in July 2013. “I made a lot of money early. Luckily I had my father to guide me.”
Sam is survived by his sister, June Sarpong. Our condolences go out to his family, friends and fans.

(Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for BET)