Heather Armstrong, known to many as the “Queen of Mommy Bloggers,” has died by suicide … this according to police, following years of her writing about struggles with alcohol and depression.
According to a statement from a Salt Lake City PD spokesperson, cops responded to Heather’s home Tuesday night and found her dead — the preliminary investigation determined she died by suicide. No other details were given.
Fans of Heather learned of the tragic news Wednesday … with a post on her social media that read, “Heather Brooke Hamilton aka Heather B. Armstrong aka dooce aka love of my life. July 19, 1975 – May 9, 2023.”
It goes on to say, “Hold your loved ones close and love everyone else.” Her boyfriend Pete Ashdown told the Associated Press she had been sober for 18 months but recently had a relapse.
Heather became a pioneer in the world of blogging in the early 2000s … being one of the first “mommy bloggers” with her site, dooce.com. She’d often get candid with her readers about parenthood, as well as more difficult subjects like her depression.
Over the years, Heather gained tons of recognition for her bravery — even appearing on Oprah Winfrey‘s show and being put on Forbes’ list of most influential women in media. She published a few books as well … including “Things I Learned About My Dad In Therapy” and “The Valedictorian of Being Dead.”
Heather opened up about her mental health struggles more frequently in recent years, revealing she joined a clinical trial intended to determine if depression could be treated by going into medically-induced comas.
She shared 2 kids were her ex-husband, Jon — they got divorced in 2013. She started dating Pete almost 6 years ago.
Heather was 47.
RIP
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
