Hollywood is mourning the loss of a young soul.
Drayke Hardman, 12, died by suicide after being regularly being bullied at school. His parents, Andrew and Samie Hardman, shared the news with KUTV CBS 2. Several celebrities, including Kaia Gerber and Katie Couric, caught wind of the terrible news.
“My heart is broken for Drayke and his family, and every child who has been the victim to bullying,” Gerber wrote Wednesday on her Instagram Story. “Let’s teach our children kindness and compassion. Bullying HAS NEVER and WILL NEVER be ‘cool.'”
Sara Foster shared an Instagram post honouring Drayke. “This sweet boy was literally bullied to death,” she wrote.
Couric replied in the post’s comments section: “I’ve been following this story. It’s devastating.”
“Oh, God this is so horrific,” Rosanna Arquette wrote. “Bless his soul. We are living in a culture of bullying and cruelty. We must start with the kids to protect them and teach peace.”
“How can this happen,” Lisa Rinna asked. “Good for you for posting this.”
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The Hardman’s opened up to the news publication about their son’s passing. They said their son had repeatedly been bullied, particularly by one unnamed classmate. The school got involved and the anonymous student was suspended. On Monday, Drayke came home with a black eye after reportedly getting into a physical altercation with a classmate.
“Kids are going to be the kind of kids that are going to do what they want until they know that it’s not OK,” Samie said. “And I think that’s where those hard conversations come from.”
