Back around the turn of the millennium, a young child star appeared in NYPD Blue. The child actor was none other than Austin Majors, who played the character Theo Sipowicz, who was the son of Detective Andy Sipowicz. Majors played the role of the detective’s son for seven successful seasons, appearing in a total of forty-eight episodes during his time with NYPD Blue, with Majors’ final episode airing in 2004.
Now, news has been published that confirms that Austin Majors is no longer with us. The child actor fell into hard times during his adult years and passed away at the young age of just twenty-seven years old. Majors was found dead inside a Los Angeles homeless facility on February 11, 2023. Although the cause of his death is still under investigation, it is clear that Majors was struggling to survive from day to day if he was living inside a Los Angeles homeless shelter, which is not known for being a welcoming place for people to stay.
While the official cause of death is yet to be released, TMZ has obtained some information to publish that the child actor from NYPD Blues might have died from a suspected fentanyl overdose. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, which has killed thousands of people over the last few years alone. It is extremely potent and can cause an overdose simply by touching the chemical to the skin.
In the wake of Majors’ death, his family released a statement confirming that their 27-year-old son had passed away.
They shared, “Austin Majors (Setmajer-Raglin) was an artistic, brilliant, and kind human being. Austin took great joy and pride in his acting career. From the time he was little, he never knew a stranger, and his goal in life was to make people happy.”
In the statement from his family, the writer added some details about Majors’ upbringing and education.
The statement said, “He grew up in a small town where he loved camping and fishing with his family and Boy Scout Troop. He loved his dog, Sunny, and the horse he grew up riding, Balla. He graduated Salutatorian in High School while being an active Eagle Scout and member of the community. He went on to graduate from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts with a passion for directing and music producing.”
In addition, Majors was a beloved child of his family. The family statement continued with a word about how Austin Majors was very close to his younger sister.
“Austin’s younger sister, Kali, says her fondest memories with Austin were growing up on set with him, volunteering at events with ‘Kids With a Cause,’ and backpacking together. Austin was the kind of son, brother, grandson, and nephew that made us proud, and we will miss him deeply forever.”
In addition to his acting work on NYPD Blue, child actor Austin Majors also appeared in television shows like Hercules, According to Jim, and Desperate Housewives. His final role was in How I Met Your Mother, which aired in 2009.