NHL legend Claude Lemieux was confronted by his wife about his struggles with sobriety just hours before he died by hanging, according to an incident report.
Family members found the four-time Stanley Cup champion dead at his family's furniture company warehouse in Palm Beach County in May. Officials have ruled his death a suicide by hanging.
According to the incident report, obtained by TMZ, Lemieux's family had observed a change in his behavior over the past year, sparking concerns he had relapsed after 12 years of sobriety. His wife, Deborah, confronted him about these concerns on the evening of May 27, and Lemieux reportedly acknowledged them.
Deborah then asked Lemieux to leave their home around 10:30 p.m. that night. She subsequently called their son, Brendan, who went to the home to discuss how the family could support Lemieux. Afterward, Brendan drove to the family business, using his phone's location tracking to find his father.
Upon arriving at the warehouse, Brendan discovered his father's truck and removed a firearm he knew Lemieux kept in the glove compartment, stashing it in his own vehicle due to the "emotional aspect of the situation." He then entered the warehouse and found his father. Brendan called 911, and Lemieux was pronounced dead minutes later at approximately 3:24 a.m.
Lemieux is survived by his wife, Deborah, and four children: Claudia, Christopher, Michael, and Brendan. Court documents filed in Arizona indicate that Lemieux appointed Deborah as the Personal Representative to administer his estate, leaving "all of [his] estate" to a trust established with her in September 2008. If Deborah were unable to serve, his children Brendan and Claudia were named as co-representatives. His two sons from his first marriage, Christopher and Michael, were not mentioned as beneficiaries or representatives.
Lemieux's passing occurred just three days after he served as the ceremonial torchbearer for the Montreal Canadiens before an Eastern Conference Final game. The former winger played from 1983 to 2009, winning four Stanley Cups. He amassed 80 playoff goals and played 234 playoff games, ranking ninth and sixth in NHL history, respectively. He also accumulated 1,777 career penalty minutes in 1,215 regular season games.