Sadly, the tragic circumstances that plagued Dana Plato during her brief life didn’t end upon her death. Shortly before Mother’s Day 2010, 11 years after she died, Plato’s son, Tyler Lambert, died by suicide just two days before what would have been the anniversary of his mother’s death. He was 25.
“It’s a shame that such a talented human being would do this with his life,” Joni Richardson, the grandmother who had helped raised him, told People. “He had all the opportunities in the world and we just can’t understand it.” She added that they had just talked that morning. “But you never can tell what’s in their mind,” his grandmother said.
Throughout his life, Plato experienced issues with substance misuse, just as his mother had. “Mother’s Day was always a difficult time, not only because it was Mother’s Day but the anniversary of Dana’s death,” his mother’s former manager, Johnny Whitaker, told ABC News.
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If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
