The Degrassi community is in shock this week, as it was revealed that former Degrassi actor Neil Hope died 4 years ago in November of 2007.
Neil Hope played Wheels on Degrassi Junior High, one of the most popular characters and a core member of The Zit Remedy.
It has been confirmed that Neil died on November 25th, 2007 in a Hamilton rooming house at the age of 35. According to the police, he died of “natural causes,” but not much else is known about his mysterious death. The revelation was made known to his family only last month, and became public on Thursday.
Neil made a few guest appearances on Degrassi: The Next Generation, most notably going bowling with Snake and Joey during Snake’s cancer storyline in season 3. He also was a part of the 2005 Degrassi documentary “The Degrassi Story” (Watch Neil’s interview right here). However, he did not stay in touch with the producers after that appearance.
Former Degrassi cast members began sharing the news of Neil’s death a few weeks ago. Dan Woods, better known as Mr. Raditch on Degrassi, knew Neil for his entire run on the show. “We’re all pretty shocked about the news. We’re saddened by it. Neil was a great guy and a great light,” he said. “[Neil] was a quiet guy when we were off set, but full of energy, very bright-eyed.”
Linda Schuyler and Stephen Stohn released a statement, saying: “Neil made an important contribution to our lives, to the lives of our television team, who are like a family to us, and indeed to the live of many Canadians and others around the world who were influenced by Neil and the roles he played.”
For more information, check out this article from The Toronto Star.