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Former Child Star Dead at 21

Jul 21, 2014  •  Post A Comment

A former child star who earned acclaim during a brief career in television and feature roles has died. TheWrap.com reports that Skye McCole Bartusiak, known for appearances in TV series including "24" and "Frasier" and for her film roles including Mel Gibson's "The Patriot," died Saturday at her home in Texas.

Bartusiak was 21. Her cause of death was not immediately known.

The young actress shared in a CAMIE Award — Character and Morality in Entertainment — in 2003 for the Hallmark TV movie "Love Comes Softly." She was also nominated for three Young Artist Awards — as part of the ensemble of "The Patriot" in 2001, and twice in 2002, for Best Performance in a Feature Film (young actress age 10 or under) for "Riding in Cars with Boys" and for Best Performance in a TV Series (young actress age 10 or under) for "Touched by an Angel."

Born in Houston in 1992, she began working in both television and feature films in 1999, appearing that year on the big screen in "The Cider House Rules" and on TV in the miniseries "Storm of the Century" and in "Judging Amy" and "JAG," among other programs. She went on to guest spots on a number of shows, including "CSI" and "House," and appeared as Megan Matheson in an eight-episode arc on Fox's "24."

One of her most high-profile roles was in Gibson's 2000 Revolutionary War epic "The Patriot," where Bartusiak played Gibson's daughter.

Her manager, Joe Borrasso, said in a statement to TheWrap: “We are all shocked and heartbroken over Skye's passing. Aside from being incredibly talented, Skye was a beautiful and loving person who will be greatly missed. We ask everybody to respect the family's privacy during this most difficult time of grieving.”

A young Bartusiak stars opposite Gibson in this clip from "The Patriot":

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