Widow Of British TV Producer Who Took His Own Life Speaks Out: “He Was My Best Friend…John’s Life Is Now A Legacy”

deadline.com:

Trigger warning: this article contains mention of suicide and other disturbing topics. The widow of John Balson, who tragically took his own life after working on a Channel 4 true crime series last month, has said the TV producer’s “life is now a legacy.” In an emotional statement penned by Balson’s widow Yumeno Niimura, she paid tribute to a “dedicated, loyal and hardworking” husband, who was “my best friend and the love of my life it took me 32 years to find.” “John’s life is now a legacy,” she said. “My love for him will never die and will continue with me forever.

I can’t ‘move on’ from my love for John, and I never will. Love is the only thing that never dies.” Niimura said there has been an “outpouring of love and support” from Balson’s close friends and family since he died.

She paid tribute to his parents, who have “chosen to continue to love me, my daughter, and our unborn baby as an extension of their love for their son.” Balson took his own life on May 17, a month after he stopped working on Channel 4’s In the Footsteps of Killers Season 3 citing extreme pain and dizziness, which he was eventually told by medical professionals was likely vestibular migraine disorder.

Deadline revealed earlier today that Channel 4 has instructed a law firm to examine the circumstances surrounding the 40-year-old’s death.