Nick Santino, soap opera actor, commits suicide after putting pet dog to sleep

Actor Nick Santino and his dog, Rocco.

/ Personal photo

(CBS) Soap opera actor Nick Santino killed himself last week after putting his pet dog to sleep, according to the New York Post.

The paper reports that the actor put down his beloved 5-year-old pit bull, Rocco, on Tuesday - his 47th birthday - and was found dead the next day of an apparent pill overdose.

Santino, who appeared in roles on "Guiding Light" and "All My Children," reportedly left behind a suicide note in which he said he "betrayed [his] best friend."

"Rocco trusted me and I failed him," he wrote, according to the Post. "He didn't deserve this."

The actor reportedly put Rocco to sleep following pressure from his apartment building's condo board, which had begun enforcing strict rules about owning dogs - breeds like pit bulls were reportedly banned, and dogs could not ride in the main elevator or be left alone in apartments for more than nine hours.

Although the ban didn't apply to pit bulls already in the building, the Post reports that Santino, who adopted Rocco from a shelter several years ago, received complaints and had been "harassed" by the building's management.

Santino reportedly called a former girlfriend at 2 a.m. on Wednesday and was found dead in his apartment, on New York's Upper West Side, later that day.

On Monday, the actor's sister told the Post that Santino would be buried with the ashes of his beloved pet.

Read the full story at the New York Post.

[haedo1881]

Hi, May he Rest in Peace! I hope he is with his dog in Heaven. I have met bad neighbors myself, people who just to be mean put pressure on other people and push them to do something like this. Sometimes just moving is not an option. You have to be in the other person's shoes.Eugenia Renskoff

[akc87031]

I totally understand what this man was going through..He apparently did not have any human friends.....Human friends...I bet he did when he was popular on the soaps..No human friends he loved as much as his beloved pet!!!! God bless yours and your pet's soul.

[ajk_cbsnews]

FULL DISCLOSURE: I have no use for Pitbulls - was attacked by one while walking on a public street! I guess this guy couldn't move a little farther away from his day job OR put an ad in the paper and find a home for his dog? Ridiculous!

[akc87031]

No, your comment is cold and uncaring..you are ignorant when it comes to pitbulls and canines....you didn't know his situation...he apparently loved his dog more than life itself...I have felt the same way...Remember; there are no bad dogs...only bad owners with dogs!!

[doncheech164]

killed himself over a box in nyc, thats what an apartment is...a box. he should have moved to the country in jersey, he had another 30-40 years of life. i love dogs but cant picture killing myself over one,must have been other factors at work in his mental health.

[bedfordvirginia]

He should have moved. why people live in NYC is a mystery. he sacrificed his life and his dog's for a bunch of old complaining farts

[whatsitall4]

No one can know everything that makes someone take their own life, even if they leave a suicide note. When one is feeling so low that they're suicidal, they no longer feel that they have choices; they can't see beyond their misery, which is most likely why he didn't move or get a hotel or let friends take the dog in or choose any number of other options.
Bottom line is it's terribly sad.

[Cowcharge]

I love dogs, but killing yourself over one is just dumb. He should have moved, or told his neighbors to F off. If I had the money, I'd move into a neighborhood with an association and build a pink, purple and orange house out of cinderblocks, use old toilets as lawn ornaments, and make sure I always had at least one car up on blocks in the driveway.

[1988JAck]

Terribly sad.

[slatep]

Just one more example of the "power" these associations have over other people's lives.

I would never spend money to buy in a location with a homeowner's association with the nerve to tell me how to live in my own house,!

Sadly; when the case goes to court; the law usually decides for the association.

This is supposed to be the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Who is the idiot that gave these homeowner's associations the right to dictate how others can live in their own homes.?

My daughter moved into a development where there was a homeowner's association.

Here are just a few of what the association's rules were:
You had to agree not to change the color of the front door for 25 years.
You could be fined for leaving children's toys outside overnight.
Any draperies etc. you had hanging in your home had to show only a white backing to the outside.
You could be fined for not removing your trashcans from the front of your house by the end of the day the trash was collected.

Sounds more like a commie community than a home development.

These organizations should be banned.

Those already in existence should be forced to disband.

If you own a dog; this animal provides unconditional love.

In some instances; a dog is the only living thing some people have in their lives.

Your dog loves you wether you're throwing a ball, throwing up or throwing plates against the wall.

Get rid of the Gestapo homeowner's associations NOW.

[FormerUSMCSergeant]

Well, if there weren't trashy people trying to run down the neighborhood for all, there would be no associations needed, would there?

We have an association and I appreciate that they keep people from allowing their properties to look like Sanford and Son's.

[ibjackiej]

He was not in his right mind when he made his decision to do to himself what he had done to his best friend and companion. His condo was too empty for him to stay in alone. His anger at his neighbors pushed him to an edge he could not find a balance on. He made two bad choices and I hope he finds what he hoped death would give him. He hoped he would be reunited with Rocco and he would apologize and they would be together for eternity in a happy place. I truly hope this is what he found. Suicide is a terrible death to live with for those of us who have experienced it. My sympathy to those who will live with it.

[wlhoppers]

Well said. I agree completely.