Ray Shepardson, who led the renovation of one of Detroit's greatest art objects -- the Fox Theatre -- died last month near his Illinois home. He was 70.
The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, where Shepardson's career as one of the country's most prolific theater restoration experts began, ran a series of stories about his death this week.
Joanna Connors reports that Shepardson, who lived in Wheaton, Illinois, recorded a video about his life April 13. The next day, he went to the roof of a five-story garage, pulled himself up onto the ledge, and jumped.
Connors watched the video, which was not made available for public viewing, with Shepardson's widow, Nanette.
Nanette Shepardson says that in the last weeks of his life, he was very happy, not at all depressed. He gave no indication, and she had no idea, that he was planning to kill himself. His son, Bill, says suicide is something he would never have imagined his father doing.
Jeff Baas, who filmed what turned out to be his farewell message, was completely blindsided, even after witnessing some bizarre behavior the day of the video that would make sense only in hindsight.
