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Daily Mail
By MEGHAN KENEALLY
PUBLISHED: 20:56, 13 March 2014 | UPDATED: 04:50, 14 March 2014
Former New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine’s 31-year-old son, Jeffrey, – who struggled with drug and alcohol addiction – committed suicide at a Mexico City hotel this week, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
Jeffrey Corzine had been living in Malibu, California, and was an aspiring photographer, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity and could not name the hotel.
Corzine family spokesman Steven Goldberg confirmed Jeffrey Corzine’s death in a written statement.
Back in the day: Jeffrey Corzine is seen at his father’s side when he was elected to be the governor of New Jersey in November 2005
Young: Jeffrey, who was known to friend as ‘Jeff’, was the youngest of three siblings
Discovered: The US Embassy in Mexico City confirmed that Jeffrey Corzine was found dead in a Mexico City hotel ‘several days’ ago
‘The sad fact is that Jeffrey Corzine had been suffering from severe depression for several years and recently had been receiving treatment for what is a very painful and debilitating physical and mental ailment,’ Goldberg said.
‘On Tuesday morning, he succumbed to his disease and made the tragic decision to take his own life.’
The family is planning a small, private memorial for Jeffrey, Goldberg said.
‘Among many things, the Corzine family hopes Jeffrey will be remembered for his dedication to helping others overcome their struggles with depression and addiction, something to which he had been devoted for the past 10 years,’ he said.
Corzine, who was described by family friends as a ‘lost’ soul, was discovered dead in Mexico City ‘several days’ ago after failing to reply to messages from loved ones.
His friends and family tracked down his whereabouts to his hotel by following his credit card trail.
Before his suicide was confirmed, one friend told the Daily News that Jeffrey’s battle with addition was a long one.
‘There was not a mean thing about him. He was very spoiled, but he was not a brat,’ the source said.
‘He was such a great kid. He’d been in rehab so many times, crashed cars, everything. He was super-sensitive and very lost. He was lost in a complicated family.’
Jeffrey Corzine spent time as a patient at Promises, a well-known rehab center in southern California and is survived by siblings Jennifer and Josh.
‘We ask that all respect his family’s privacy during this very difficult time.’
Jeffrey is believed to have moved from his native New Jersey to California and has a photography portfolio posted online.
He was the youngest of the former Senator-turned-Governor’s three children.
Corzine’s successor, Governor Chris Christie, issued a statement shortly after the news broke.
‘My thoughts and prayers are with Governor Corzine, Joanne and the entire Corzine family on the tragic loss of Jeffrey. They are both devoted parents and the loss they have suffered is unthinkable,’ Christie said.
‘Mary Pat and I send our personal condolences and condolences on behalf of all the people of New Jersey to the Corzine family during these very sad times,’
His Facebook page states that he attended the Pomfret School, a private boarding high school in Connecticut, and went on to study at New York University where he graduated in 2008.
He listed his current city as Malibu, California.
Forbes reports that he won billionaire Warren Buffett’s annual poker tournament in 2012, which meant that he went home with 10 hours of plane time from the private jet company NetJet, valued at $150,000.
Jeffrey was regularly seen on the campaign trail in 2005 when his father, then a Democratic Senator for New Jersey, was campaigning in the state’s gubernatorial election in the fall of 2005.
Corzine was the governor for one term until he lost to Republican Chris Christie by just shy of 4 per cent.
After leaving office, the former Goldman Sachs chairman and CEO returned to his financial roots and was named CEO of MF Global in March 2010.
The company filed for bankruptcy in October 2011 and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has since filed civil charges against 67-year-old Corzine.
Jeffrey’s mother was Corzine’s first wife Joanne Dougherty. They married in 1969 and divorced in 2002.
Corzine got remarried in November 2010 to a psychotherapist named Sharon Elghanayan. They had been dating since before he was elected Governor.