'Baron of Botox' found dead in his Miami home: police alleges suicide

Miami: A Florida dermatologist dubbed the “Baron of Botox” allegedly committed suicide, police said on Monday, with the Miami Herald reporting that he was unhappy about what appeared to be a satirical portrayal of him on a recently released Netflix show. Officers were called to Dr. Fredric Brandt’s Miami home late Saturday night and found the 65-year-old hanging from a cord with a towel around his neck, according to an incident report. [caption id=“attachment_1601237” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. IBNLive[/caption] Brandt split time between medical practices in New York and Miami and treated celebrities including Madonna and Kelly Ripa, said Susan Biegacz, a spokeswoman for the doctor. “He understood the powerful role his work could play in enhancing a person’s self confidence, and I think he took great pleasure from the gift,” Vogue Beauty Director Sarah Brown said in a statement. Sought by many patients eager for the latest skin treatments as well as pharmaceutical companies testing new products, Brandt also struggled with depression, Biegacz said. He was on medication at the time of his death and was being treated by a psychiatrist, according to the police report. The dermatologist was “devastated” by an apparent portrayal of him in “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” a Netflix series co-created by Tina Fey and released last month, a Miami Herald gossip columnist wrote on Twitter, citing unnamed sources. In the show, comedian Martin Short plays a dermatologist who closely resembles Brandt, including a shock of platinum blond hair and fair skin. Short’s depiction did not trigger Brandt’s suicide, but “the show didn’t help,” Brandt’s longtime publicist, Jacquie Tractenberg, told the Herald. A Netflix spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.