Former Soap Star’s suicide over demise of his dog

American soap actor Nick Santino, who has appeared in long running sagas such as Guiding Light and All My Children, committed suicide a day after his dog was put to sleep.

Santino had his pet pit bull called Rocco put to sleep after a long running issue over the pet with his New York apartment’s owners it is reported.

“Today I betrayed my best friend and put down my best friend,” the New York Post printed from the actors’ suicide note. The dog was cremated on Santino’s 47^th birthday on Tuesday, the Brooklyn born star took his own life a day later.

“Rocco trusted me and I failed him. He didn’t deserve this.” He stated. The dog had been ‘saved’ from a shelter and lived with the actor in his Lincoln Plaza apartment which has increased its rules on pets within the premises.

Strict new dog regulations introduced included a ban on pit bulls and while current occupants who had such dogs were not required to find new homes for the animals friends and neighbours of Santino say that the performer had been increasingly harassed over his pet.

“People were complaining about his dog,” 63-year-old neighbour Kevan Cleary told the New York Post newspaper. “The dog was not a barker, but somebody complained that the dog would bark,” Cleary added, continuing, “He felt like he was in this battle because he was the only guy in the building with a pit-bull mix,” A threat of fines if the dog barked had apparently been issued as a warning.

Santino telephoned a former girlfriend in the early hours of Wednesday, his body was discovered later the same day by police. The newspaper states that he had overdosed on pills and was discovered in the bedroom of his apartment.

Lia Pettigrew a fellow neighbour in the block told the New York Post, “Everybody knows that he had been harassed by the building management.” The owners of the building issued no reply to the claims.

Nick Santino was at 5 months old put in St. Joseph’s orphanage home in New York, for 16 years he was moved around several foster homes. Making his own way he put himself through college and earned a degree in Engineering, an MBA in Finance and a two year program at American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Last year he appeared in a small roll in Gossip Girl however it is reported he had struggled to find major parts since quitting soap opera a decade ago.