Jill Messick, Rose McGowan’s ex-manager, dies of suicide after becoming embroiled in the Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct scandal

The Hollywood Reporter

Messick, a 50-year-old veteran studio executive and producer, was McGowan’s manager in January 1997 when the actress alleged that Weinstein raped her. Messick’s family has released a statement blasting Weinstein and McGowan in particular, saying Messick "became collateral damage in an already horrific story.” McGowan had accused her manager of not sticking up for her after she revealed the alleged rape. Messick’s family contends, however, that McGowan never said she was raped. In November 1997, Weinstein hired Messick as a Miramax executive. Last week, Messick made headlines when Weinstein’s attorney released, without her authorization, comments attributed to her in Weinstein's defense. “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,” Messick’s family said in the statement. “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.”