Family opens up for 1st time about popular TV meteorologist's suicide and what they believe led to the tragedy
It's been more than two months since Jessica Starr's untimely death. FOX 2 viewers were stunned by the news, and for the family of Jessica, the grieving process is just beginning.
The family of popular Detroit meteorologist Jessica Starr blames her December suicide on complications from corrective laser eye surgery.
The Fox 2 meteorologist’s husband Dan Rose and mother Carol Starr spoke to Good Morning America Wednesday -- the first time the family has spoken publicly since her tragic death.
“There was nothing else that we can attribute it to,” Rose told ABC News’ Paula Faris.
“She really knew something was not right within a matter of days,” Rose said. “She started to complain of incredibly dry eyes. She had almost no night vision. She had starbursts that she was seeing during the day and at night."
In a separate interview with Fox 2 Detroit that aired on Wednesday, Rose elaborated on the aftermath of Starr's death and how he's handled explaining the tragedy to his young children. "They're trying to figure out what happened and where she's at. She was here one day and she was gone the next," Rose explained to Fox 2 anchor Roop Rajh. "We've had conversations about Jessica being in heaven and no longer being with us."
Starr, 35, underwent a procedure called small incision lenticule extraction, or SMILE. Doctors use a laser to make a very small opening on the eye to remove a layer of tissue within the cornea to change its shape and correct nearsightedness, Good Morning America noted.
More than 1.5 million people have undergone the procedure, which the FDA approved in 2016.
Starr herself had posted several videos in the weeks following her mid-October operation, complaining about her post-surgery difficulties. In one video, Starr said, “I just want to get back to my normal life. Right now, I’m not living my normal life.”
Late Fox 2 Detroit TV meteorologist Jessica Starr. (Fox 2 Detroit)
Her post-surgery absence from the air was noticed by Detroit viewers. “She was so blown away at the reaction by fans on social media on where she was,” said Fox 2 anchor Jay Towers on air following her suicide. “One of the things about television, sometimes the reaction is a little delayed, it takes you a couple days to realize something has changed, something is different. But I remember her standing at the desk with us before we went on the air and she said, ‘I cannot believe how many people are asking where I am.’ And I know that she felt love from this audience in Detroit.”
Starr, the mother of two young children, confided her concerns to her mother. “I kept saying, ‘Are you eating? Are you OK?’” recalled Carol Starr, who said her daughter lost 25 pounds. “And she said, ‘I’m not eating and I’m not sleeping, Mom. This is worrying me. I don’t think it’s gonna get better.’”
In mid-November, Starr posted a video in which she said, “I am back, but I’m still struggling a little bit…. I had the surgery four weeks ago … and the vision is getting there. I have a tad side of dry eyes, so I have to use a lot of (eye) drops. When the drops are in, I can see pretty clearly, but then they fade pretty quickly.
“But I’m happy to be back at work because I’ve been home and I’m ready to get back to my life…. I’ll be on the 9 (o’clock show) doing the weather today…. I am struggling still a little bit so I do need all the prayers and the well wishes because it’s a hard go and the doctors say it could take up to three months or so before I feel 100 percent again.”
However, the next day, Nov. 14, Starr tweeted, “Update; yesterday was a struggle for me. I really wanted to come back but I need more time to recover. Please keep me in your thoughts during this challenging time. Will keep you updated.”
It was Starr’s last tweet. She took her own life on Dec. 12, two months after the surgery.
Less than a month later, Starr was gone, a tragedy that jolted TV viewers in the Detroit area, left colleagues heartbroken and sent shockwaves through the TV meteorology world. In the days following Starr's death, Fox 2 posted a video tribute to the beloved broadcaster on social media, a memorial that has amassed more than 1.1 million views. Below, watch the full report on Starr and her family from Good Morning America.
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