Jill Messick, Hollywood exec caught between Rose McGowan and Harvey Weinstein, commits suicide

Jill Messick, a studio executive and producer, killed herself aged 50 in Los Angeles on Wednesday, her family told The Hollywood Reporter. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had been battling depression for years.

Earlier in her career, Messick was Rose McGowan's manager and recently found herself in the midst of a thorny public spat when sexual harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein came to light.

McGowan was a client of Messick's when, in January 1997 during the Sundance Film Festival, she accused Weinstein of rape.

Messick's name made headlines on Jan. 30 of this year after Weinstein's attorney, Ben Brafman, released an email to news outlets attributed to Messick in defence of Weinstein.

In a statement released to The Hollywood Reporter, Messick's family was critical of Weinstein and McGowan: ‘Jill was victimized by our new culture of unlimited information sharing and a willingness to accept statement as fact.

‘The speed of disseminating information has carried mistruths about Jill as a person, which she was unable and unwilling to challenge. She became collateral damage in an already horrific story.’

‘Over the past few months, many women have come out with allegations against Harvey Weinstein, including Rose McGowan, who has repeatedly spoken with the press, striking out against not only her alleged attacker, but a great many others,’ Messick's family stated.

‘One of them was Jill, who chose to remain silent in the face of Rose’s slanderous statements against her for fear of undermining the many individuals who came forward in truth.’

Messick is survived by two children, Jackson and Ava; their father, Kevin Messick; her father, Michael; her brother, Jan; and her partner, Dan Schuck.