WATCH:There is a new and surprising theory about what may have lead to the death of the popular Canadian TV host Chris Hyndman — and it comes from his own mother. She told a Toronto newspaper she thinks her son may have been sleepwalking and fell from the balcony of the Toronto condo he shared with his partner. Jennifer Tryon reports.
TORONTO – The grieving mother of Canadian television host Chris Hyndman believes her son died while sleepwalking on the terrace of his Toronto penthouse apartment.
Glenda Hyndman told the Toronto Star the co-host of CBC’s daytime show Steven and Chris was a sleepwalker and even ate in his sleep.
The 49-year-old was found dead late Monday evening in an alleyway behind his Riverdale home.
WATCH: Glady Bell, a family friend of Chris Hyndman, says the design show host had a problem with sleepwalking
“Christopher was a sleepwalker, and he did that a lot. He even ate in his sleep,” Hyndman’s mother told the newspaper in a telephone interview from Moose Jaw, Sask.
“He was the most incredible human being and best son you could ever have. I think his light was so bright it just … it just burned out.”
READ MORE: Fans, friends across Canada pay tribute to Chris Hyndman
Glady Bell, a family friend, told Global News Hyndman had a “big problem” with sleepwalking but never thought the worst could ever happen.
“Christopher, that would be the last thing he ever would have done. He was scared of heights and he didn’t like water. He wouldn’t even get in the hot tub with us because he didn’t like water,” Bell said in a telephone interview from Moose Jaw.
WATCH: Dr. Brian Murray, a sleep specialist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, explains what causes sleepwalking and the dangers it poses to people who suffer from it.
“Christopher, he’s the farthest away you could ever think to kill himself. That just wouldn’t be him and that’s not him.”
Glenda told the Star her son’s on-screen partner and spouse, Steven Sabados, went to bed Monday night and was awakened when police knocked on his door to tell him what happened.
Toronto paramedics said a man was found without vital signs near Broadview Avenue and Queen Street just after 11 p.m. and was pronounced dead at the scene.
WATCH: Sleepwalking is a common problem people experience in their childhood but later grow out of, but for those that suffer from it as adults, it can be dangerous. Angie Seth reports.
Police have said an investigation into the death is ongoing but they are not seeking witnesses in connection with the incident.
READ MORE: Chris Hyndman of CBC’s ‘Steven and Chris’ dead at 49
The public broadcaster confirmed Hyndman’s death in a statement released Tuesday morning.
CBC, which immediately pulled Steven and Chris from its schedule, has since set up a memorial in the atrium of its Toronto headquarters.
The broadcaster said late Tuesday it also plans a celebration of Hyndman’s life at a later date.
With a file from John R. Kennedy and Adam Miller
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