Fredrick Jay Bowdy appeared to exemplify the meaning of success. By the time he was 33, Bowdy had achieved goals such as becoming a college graduate, pro basketball player, teacher, actor, and a father and husband.
After finding success as a high school basketball star in Fort Worth, Texas, Bowdy went on to play college basketball at the University of West Georgia. After attaining a master’s degree, Bowdy played semi-pro basketball for several small teams before starting his own franchise.
In 2009, Bowdy founded the North Texas Fresh basketball team that plays in the UBA basketball league. Bowdy eventually became a teacher and basketball coach at Crowley Middle School in 2011. He served as a teacher for four years before deciding to follow his dreams of becoming an actor.
In 2015, Bowdy moved to Los Angeles and soon found work as an actor. He recently starred in the independent movie Prepper.
But Bowdy was apparently dealing with severe personal issues. He was arrested for sexual assault on Jan. 19 and posted a $100,000 bond.
On Jan. 24 around 5.30 a.m., Bowdy began filming himself on Facebook Live while sitting in a car. According to witnesses who spoke with the Los Angeles Times, Bowdy spoke about the issues in his life and cried. Viewers could hear the pain in his voice. Without warning, Bowdy put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger.
Bowdy’s suicide on Facebook Live occurred one day before 14-year-old Nakia Venant took her life on the social media platform.
Bowdy is survived by his wife and six children.
