Lady Gaga took to Twitter on Thursday to mourn the loss of her friend, model Rick Genest, aka Zombie Boy, who appeared in Gaga’s “Born This Way” music video and has died of an apparent suicide.
In a multi-tweet reaction, the singer called the death “beyond devastating.”
She also called for stronger efforts to bring mental-health issues to the forefront in order to “erase the stigma” of them.
“The suicide of friend Rick Genest, Zombie Boy is beyond devastating. We have to work harder to change the culture, bring Mental Health to the forefront and erase the stigma that we can’t talk about it,” Gaga wrote.