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Ruehlemann was found unresponsive in the bathroom of his friend's Midtown apartment around 9:50 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, the outlet says citing NYPD. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The model's 59-year-old father says his son battled an addiction to prescription pills for years, and while he's still waiting for the results from the toxicology tests, believes his son died of an accidental overdose.
"There was no desire to end his life, this was accidental," the elder Ruehlemann tells Daily Mail. "Obviously, he had some issues with drug addiction, but he was very happy. He loved life. He was very vibrant, a wonderful soul and a very giving guy."
Ruehlemann grew up in Mahwah, NJ and went on to study psychology at Rowan University. He left four years into his five-year program to pursue his modeling career, but always planned on finishing his education, he said on LinkedIn.
In an interview with GQ at 24 years old, Ruehlemann said modeling "isn't about being attractive," rather, playing a role.
“I like when people make me look different," he told the magazine. "Looking handsome is boring to me at this point in my modeling career, you know?”
Just days before his death, Ruehlemann posted a behinds the scenes look from a Tommy Hilfiger shoot on Instagram.
Ruehlemann modeled for GQ and Playhouse Magazine, and walked for top designers including Perry Ellis and Christian Siriano, who paid tribute to Ruehlemann in an Instagram post.
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