Ghostbusters II baby Oscar star met tragic end years after famous uncle's death crash

More than three decades have passed since Ghostbusters II hit movie screens, unleashing ghouls and gunge galore.

The 1989 sequel to the 1984 paranormal comedy classic starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Sigourney Weaver introduced a very special new addition – baby Oscar.

Oscar, who might have have been a year old at a push, was at the heart of the plot, with evil sorcerer Vigo taking on the Ghostbusters in his attempts to possess the tot.

READ MORE: Playboy playmate and Ghostbusters star Kymberly Herrin dies aged 65

But away from the bright lights of the Hollywood studios, for the young stars, the hit movie didn’t turn out to be the springboard to acting success you might have expected it to be.

In something of a twist, Oscar wasn’t played by just one child.

He was in fact played by two different actors – twins William and Henry ‘Hank’ Deutschendorf.

The Deutschendorf brothers are the nephews of the late country singer John Denver who had massive hits including Take Me Home, Country Roads and Leaving on a Jet Plane.

Denver, whose real name was Henry John Deutschendorf Jr, died in a plane crash in 1997.

And for his nephews, there was yet more tragedy to come.

The twins both gave up on acting – Ghostbusters II was the only film they ever featured in.

They both went on to college and became martial arts instructors.

But in an unfortunate turn of events, Henry was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder in 2008.

Brother Will said that Henry “experienced hallucinations, delusions, depression, and mania”.

The condition took its toll on Henry, who had to take medication to try to alleviate the symptoms.

After the diagnosis William said Henry was a changed person.

He told NME: “If you knew Hank before his diagnosis, you knew a young man who was upbeat, healthy, witty, kind, outgoing, and was always ready to stand up for people.

“Medication curbed the delusions but it did not stop the voices. The side effects of the medication took a toll on Hank.

“He felt like a zombie, lost his personality, gained weight quickly, slept for twelve hours a day, and had to use all of his willpower just to lift his hand to drink a cup of water.”

Henry tragically died in 2017 at the age of 29.

He was reportedly found by his brother in his Escondido, California, apartment. The coroner’s report said he died by suicide having hanged himself.

“Some knew him as Baby Oscar in ‘Ghostbusters 2’ or John Denver’s nephew,” Will said.

He added: “Others knew him as a brother, son, martial artist, teacher, uncle, or friend.

“What people do not know about Hank was that he suffered from schizoaffective disorder.”

For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk