JERUSALEM (JTA) — Dudu Topaz, an Israeli television star jailed for allegedly ordering attacks on local TV executives, committed suicide in his prison cell.
Topaz, an Israeli talk show and game show host and star of variety and satire shows, hanged himself Thursday morning. He had been under a suicide watch since trying to kill himself shortly after he was arrested in June. He hanged himself with an electric cord in the shower stall next to his cell, the one place where there were no security cameras, according to reports.
During an interrogation shortly after his arrest, Topaz admitted to planning the attacks. The victims all had made decisions to remove his programs from television line-ups.
Topaz, 62, was a popular entertainer, once known as the "king of ratings." His attorney told Ha’aretz that his client’s suicide was a result of the intensive media coverage surrounding his arrest.
Israel’s Prison Services said Thursday that it would investigate the circumstances of Topaz’s suicide.
