Claude Lemieux was confronted by his wife about his sobriety just hours before his tragic death, an incident report released on Thursday revealed.
Deborah Lemieux approached the NHL legend on May 27 alleging he had relapsed following 12 years of sobriety, and when Claude acknowledged his backslide, she told him to leave their home at around 10:30 p.m., according to a copy of the report obtained by TMZ.
Claude’s son, Brendan — following a conversation with Deborah about the issue — noticed later in the night that Claude’s phone location had appeared at their family’s home-design business in Lake Park, Fla., so he drove over.
Brendan, per the report, saw Claude’s truck in the parking lot, and when he entered the building, he found Claude had died by suicide.
Authorities arrived at the scene just after 3 a.m. on May 28 and allegedly discovered a cell phone with a note written on it near Claude’s body.
They also located a bag of THC edibles in the vicinity, though a toxicology report did not show any signs of substances in his system at the time of his death, according to the report.
Claude played in the NHL from 1983-2009 and won four Stanley Cups and one Conn Smythe Trophy.
He helped kick off Game 3 of the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals by carrying the torch through the Bell Centre in Montreal just days before his passing.
He was 60 years old.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis, you can call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for free and confidential crisis counseling.
