Neil Hope who played Wheels on Degrassi passed four and a half years (November 25, 2007) ago at the age of 35 from natural causes, but his death is first being reported today according to Toronto.com.
Degrassi’s Executive Producers Linda Schuyler and Stephen Stohn from Epitome Pictures released a statement about his passing, “We were terribly saddened to hear the news. Neil made an important contribution to our lives, to the lives of our television team who are like a family to us, and indeed to the lives of the many Canadians and others around the world who were influenced by Neil and the roles he played starting from the early days of The Kids of Degrassi Street. His life was not an easy one, but the time he spent with us was a shining example of determination, hard work and hopeful optimism, and he is sorely missed.” Stohn added on Twitter, “We are all terribly saddened by this news. Neil and his character Wheels in the early Degrassi deeply touched many lives. We have respected the privacy of the family by not saying anything until now, but our entire team is very emotional about his passing”
Hope is one of the few actors who acted in almost every version of Degrassi from The Kids of Degrassi all the way up until the latest installment of Degrassi: The Next Generation. He last appeared on the show during D:TNG’s third season.
Hope’s death is hitting me hard because I had such a crush on him when I was growing up. Wheels has always been my favorite character in the Degrassi franchise.
So today take some time to remember him by watching him in an episode of Degrassi Junior High or Degrassi High. Or better yet belt out Everybody Wants Something and let him know we are will never give up loving him.
Below is one of his of greatest episodes:
