Transgender Comedian Daphne Dorman Dies By Suicide

Daphne Dorman, an up-and-coming transgender comedian, actress, and activist, died by suicide on Friday, according to the Office of Transgender Initiatives for the City & County of San Francisco. The comedian was recently known by some for being referenced by Dave Chappelle in a recent Netflix special.

Dorman, 44, left a “goodbye” message on Facebook Friday, saying, “I’m sorry.” Dorman wrote, “I’ve thought about this a lot before this morning. How do you say “goodbye” and “I’m sorry” and “I love you” to all the beautiful souls you know?”

The message continued, “To those of you who are mad at me: please forgive me. To those of you who wonder if you failed me: you didn’t. To those of you feel like I failed you: I did, and I’m sorry, and I hope you’ll remember me in better times and better light.”

Dorman ended the message saying, “Please help my daughter, Naia, understand that none of this is her fault. Please remind her that I loved her with every fiber of my being.”

The goodbye post included a picture of her and Naia, along with another photo of herself with a caption that read, “So long and thanks for all the fish.”

Becky Kugler, who’s acknowledged herself as Dorman’s sister, confirmed Dorman’s death on Facebook shortly after the initial message was posted. “I so wish we could have helped you through your darkness. We’ll always love you, fly high sweet angel,” she wrote.

Dorman was known by some for being shouted out in Dave Chappelle’s controversial special, “Sticks and Stones,” which Netflix released in August. The comedian talked about meeting Dorman and her hopes to continue doing stand-up comedy. Her picture was also featured in the credits.

Further, if you or someone you know is considering suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273- TALK(8255) or text TALK to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.