26-year-old Andrew Christian model and actor Jorge Ilich died on Sunday night after jumping from a Miami Beach high rise apartment building.
According to NBC, police arrived at the Flamingo Apartments off Bay Road following reports that someone was pushed off a balcony on the 7th floor of the complex. Although some witnesses suggested otherwise, officers eventually determined that the victim was not pushed off by anyone.
Our PnV tribute to @jorge_ilich including life in his own words. RIP. https://t.co/ebBlx7HBfr … pic.twitter.com/4v3SFXnBNv
— PnV MaleModelNetwork (@MrPeaksNValleys) June 29, 2016
Edge Media Network reports:
Though the local station does not name the man, several Spanish-language news sites report the man is Ilich, who was an actor and model for the underwear company Andrew Christian.
However, Illich's family says he was in good health and thinks there is a possibility he was murdered.
“We believe it was murder,” José Gregorio Navas, Illich's uncle, told the Nuevo Herald. “There are people who say they heard an argument in the apartment where he lived.”
Venezuela native Ilich earned a degree in architecture from the University of Santa Maria and started modeling when he was 15. He also appeared in the Venevision soap opera “Heart Esmerelda.”
The @jorge_ilich that I knew…my thoughts & Jan 2015 interview with him. RIP Jorge Ilich https://t.co/hHVRNuD3yE pic.twitter.com/Qjg6JdHmVT
— PnV MaleModelNetwork (@MrPeaksNValleys) June 29, 2016
Deborath Tovar, Ilich's niece said he was “a wonderful, humble, focused person,” adding that his death is “a great loss for the whole family.”
Watch an NBC report on Ilich's death below.
(Image via Twitter)