Once in a while, you'll discover something about a famous TV personality you grew up watching that you never knew and is really startling. 

For me, it happened this weekend when I accidentally stumbled upon the story of Jay Stewart. If you're of a certain age, you'll remember that name. He was the announcer who stood by Monty Hall all those years on the original "Let's Make A Deal" on ABC.

Stewart was the guy who came down the aisle with a box or the gadget that would dispense money and would be the sidekick for Hall as he offered a contestant a choice of some money or "what's in the box." Stewart would then read the ad copy about what the prize was and how much it was worth. 

I always thought Stewart was an interesting personality and a big part of that show that I grew up watching. 

And so it was with some considerable sadness that I discovered that Stewart's life came to a tragic end at his own hand. The famous voice was discovered in his own garage in 1989, dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He left a suicide note, but police weren't willing to reveal its contents. 

Stewart was just 71 when he died, apparently unable to make a deal with the demons that drove him to take his own life. Why did he do it? Stories emerged that he was extremely depressed after one of his two daughters died, and that he'd become addicted to alcohol.

And it was his biggest success that also may have led to his untimely exit: he apparently suffered from severe back pain from having to lift and carry all those boxes and prizes from the floor on "Deal," leading to permanent pain he no longer found bearable. 

Even all these years later, I was sorry to hear he left us that way, something I never knew until just now.

From the L.A. Times, 1989:

'Make a Deal’ Announcer Kills Self