In a statement released following her death, her family says Messick was 'victimized' and devastated after being embroiled in the scandal involving Weinstein and McGowan.
- Feb 9, 2018
AceShowbiz - Veteran studio executive and producer Jill Messick, who was Rose McGowan's onetime manager, died Wednesday, February 7 in Los Angeles. Her family confirms she took her own life. She was 50. Messick was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had been battling depression in the years before her death.
In a statement released following her death, her family slams McGowan and Weinstein. Her family says Messick was victimized in the sexual abuse allegations against Weinstein and involving McGowan, who claimed she was raped by the disgraced movie mogul in 1997, when Messick served as her manager. Messick's family claims she was devastated after Weinstein released an email in which Messick defended Weinstein.
"Over the past few months, many women have come out with allegations against Harvey Weinstein, including Rose McGowan, who has repeatedly spoken with the press, striking out against not only her alleged attacker, but a great many others," reads the statement. "One of them was Jill, who chose to remain silent in the face of Rose's slanderous statements against her for fear of undermining the many individuals who came forward in truth. She opted not to add to the feeding frenzy, allowing her name and her reputation to be sullied despite having done nothing wrong. She never chose to be a public figure; that choice was taken away from her."
The family maintains McGowan confided in Messick after the encounter with Weinstein at the Sundance Film Festival in 1997, but the actress never mentioned rape. Still, realizing "that Harvey had done something untoward to Rose, if not illegal," Messick reported the incident to her bosses, who later settled it without Messick's knowledge.
The family continues stating, "Five years ago, Jill suffered a manic episode. Anyone familiar with bipolar disorder knows that it is a cruel and vicious disease. With the help of doctors, her family and friends, Jill rebounded. Jill had fought to put her life back together. After a long job search, she was in negotiations to run the production division for a new entertainment company."
"Seeing her name in headlines again and again, as part of one person's attempt to gain more attention for her personal cause, along with Harvey's desperate attempt to vindicate himself, was devastating for her. It broke Jill, who was just starting to get her life back on track. What makes Rose's inaccurate accusations and insinuations against Jill ironic was that she was the first person who stood up on Rose's behalf, and alerted her bosses to the horrific experience which Rose suffered."
Messick worked at Paramount-based Lorne Michaels Productions and at Miramax for more than 10 years as executive producer, with producing credits including films like "Frida" and "Mean Girls" as well as NBC's series "Bad Judge". She is survived by her two children Jackson and Ava, their father Kevin Messick, her father Michael, her brother Jan and her partner Dan Schuck.
