The father of late model Jeremy Ruehlemann, whose recent death at age 27 shocked the fashion world, has opened up about his son’s history of substance abuse, and why he believes it caused his son’s death.
Achim Ruehlemann spoke candidly about his son’s passing, and his belief that the 27 year old died from an accidental drug overdose, while speaking to the DailyMail.
“He did rehab and had tried to get off prescription medication,” Achim told the outlet, adding: “Obviously, he was not successful.”
According to the model’s father, although the family is still not “100 per cent sure exactly what happened,” as they are still awaiting the results of the toxicology report, they believe Jeremy’s death was a tragic accident.
“There was no desire to end his life, this was accidental,” Jeremy’s father continued. “Obviously, he had some issues with drug addiction, but he was very happy. He loved life. He was very vibrant, a wonderful soul and a very giving guy.”
Jeremy, who was from New Jersey, made a name for himself modelling for brands such as John Varvatos, Superdry, Macy’s, Zara, and Atelier Cillian. His death was first announced on Facebook by his friend Gianni Simpson, according to Footwear News.
In the post shared on Sunday, Simpson reflected on the pair’s 10-year friendship and their shared love of live music, sports, fashion and tattoos. Jeremy’s modelling agency confirmed his death to The Independent.
Achim’s memory of his son comes after designer Christian Siriano paid tribute to Jeremy on Instagram, where he described the model as his “muse”.
“I have never posted anything like this but to lose a friend who was such a beautiful soul is just really hard. This is for Jeremy, the most beautiful man that gave so much love to everyone he met no matter what. He was one of my muses and he always will be. He inspired me and I will love him forever,” the designer captioned an album of photos of Jeremy. “I’m sending all my love to his family and friends who lost someone so special. I know we will meet again one day but right now I just want to hug him. Rest well J we all love you so much! Send love to his family today please.”
The American fashion designer was not the only one from the fashion world to pay tribute to Jeremy. The late model was also remembered by Halston’s creative director Ken Downing, who dedicated an Instagram post to the 27 year old and wrote: “Goodbye Sweet Jeremy. RIP Jeremy Ruehlemann. Love to your family who you adored, as much as they love and adored you. I am heartbroken.”
Jeremy’s Instagram has also been inundated with messages of condolence from his fans and peers, with many taking to the comments section under his most recent post to share the tributes.
“Rest in peace Jeremy. I will never forget you and your kind heart. You will be missed dearly,” one person wrote, while another said: “Rest in peace my brother.”
According to Jeremy’s father, the outpouring of tributes is proof of the type of person his son was. “You could see what people are saying about him on social media,” he said, adding: “Siriano gave a very nice tribute. I don’t know if there’s anybody who could say anything negative about him. It’s just a tragedy.”
