Claude Lemieux’s son told police that the late NHL legend had relapsed into sex addiction before his death by suicide, new police bodycam footage shows.
Lemieux, a four-time Stanley Cup champion, was found dead by one of his three sons at the family furniture company warehouse in Palm Beach County in May. Officials say he died by hanging.
The hockey icon’s family reportedly expressed concerns about him prior to his death, according to the incident report released by officials, via TMZ. 30-year-old son Brendan, who is said to have discovered his body, reportedly told officials that they had noticed a change in his behavior
The change reportedly triggered concerns that he had relapsed following 12 years of sobriety, leading his wife, Deborah, to confront him over it and tell him to leave their home hours before his passing.
In newly-released police footage, which has been obtained by The California Post, Brendan also told Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office investigators about his father’s alleged sex addiction after finding his body in the early hours of May 28.
‘Long story short, my mom finds out that he’s not sober anymore. And that’s what triggered this tonight,’ he reportedly said in the video.
Claude Lemieux’s son told police that he had relapsed into sex addiction before his death
Brendan Lemieux (right), who discovered his dad’s body on May 28, opened up on the cause of the NHL icon’s argument with wife Deborah before his passing
One of the cops then asked about his dad’s possible alcohol consumption, before Brendan continued: ‘When I say sober, he has more issues with — his most sober thing is sex addiction versus alcohol. I don’t even know if he’s been drinking.’
‘We’ve noticed changes in his behavior,’ he added, ‘and recently, it’s spiraled completely.’
Brendan said Claude had been ‘lashing out’ and ‘not being nice to people’ in the lead-up to his death.
He also described how his mom ‘called him out’ and told him to ‘get out’ at around 10:30pm on May 27 after he confessed to relapsing.
Brendan arrived at the home to discuss how the family could support Claude moving forward with Deborah before driving over to the family business, where he had located his father through tracking his phone location.
Upon arriving at the warehouse, Brendan discovered his dad’s Ford truck in the parking lot. He removed the firearm he knew Lemieux kept in the glove compartment and stashed it in his own vehicle due to the ’emotional aspect of the situation.’
He then proceeded to enter the warehouse and located his father upon which he called 911. Lemieux was pronounced dead minutes later at around 3:24am.
The former Montreal Canadiens winger is survived by his wife Deborah and his four children – daughter Claudia, 29, and sons Christopher, 37, Michael, 34, and Brendan.
Lemieux’s sudden passing came just three days after he served as the ceremonial ‘torch bearer’ for the Montreal Canadiens
The former winger won four Stanley Cups with three different teams over his illustrious career
Last week it also emerged that Lemieux left multiple individual messages for his family members on the notes app of his phone before his death, according to a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office incident report obtained by The California Post.
He reportedly left a post-it note on the phone containing instructions on how to access the notes, writing in black marker: ‘Look inside phone notes 1965.’
When officials reportedly accessed the app they found ‘multiple notes that were individualized.’
‘The notes were heartfelt in nature,’ the report stated, ‘reflected sorrow for his decision, and were consistent with that of a suicide note.’
Along with the phone, officials also reportedly discovered an opened bag of ‘bedtime gummies’ near Lemieux’s body.
However, authorities stated that a ‘toxicology report listed “negative” for all analytes.’
Lemieux’s sudden passing came just three days after he served as the ceremonial ‘torch bearer’ for the Canadiens at the Bell Centre before their Eastern Conference Final Game 3 matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes.
If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988. There is also an online chat available at 988lifeline.org.
