John Coughlin, a two-time U.S. champion figure skater, was found dead in Kansas City, Missouri, on Friday, one day after he was suspended from the sport.
Angela Laune, Coughlin’s sister, shared the news of his death in a Facebook post Friday night.
“My wonderful strong, amazingly compassionate brother John Coughlin took his own life earlier today,” Laune wrote on Facebook late Friday night. “I have no words. I love you John.”
Kansas City police found Coughlin’s body at 4:54 p.m. on Friday, USA Today reported. Police told the news site that Coughlin died by suicide.
The 33-year-old figure skater twice won the U.S. pairs championship, in 2011 with Caitlin Yankowskas and in 2012 with Caydee Denney. He started figure skating with the Kansas City Figure Skating Club and played a major role in making Kansas City the host of the 2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, The Kansas City Star reported.
We are stunned at the news of the death of two-time U.S. pairs champion John Coughlin. Our heartfelt and deepest sympathies are with his father Mike, sister Angela and the rest of his family. Out of respect to the family, we will have no further comment until a later time.
Coughlin had retired from competing in 2015 but remained heavily involved in figure skating as a coach and TV commentator, working closely with U.S. Figure Skating, according to USA Today. He was also a former chair of the International Skating Union’s Athletes Commission.
Coughlin’s burgeoning career was recently shrouded in controversy after the U.S. Center for SafeSport placed a temporary restriction on his eligibility to be involved figure skating on Dec. 17, USA Today first reported. SafeSport opened in March 2017 to monitor and investigate all reports of abuse, including bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct, in all Olympic sports.
Details of the allegations have not been made public as Coughlin’s case with SafeSport is still pending.
In an email on Jan. 7, Coughlin told USA Today that allegations made against him were “unfounded,” but said he could not speak publicly about them because the case remained open with SafeSport.
“While I wish I could speak freely about the unfounded allegations levied against me, the SafeSport rules prevent me from doing so since the case remains pending,” Coughlin wrote. “I note only that the SafeSport notice of allegation itself stated that an allegation in no way constitutes a finding by SafeSport or that there is any merit to the allegation.”
On Thursday, one day before Coughlin was found dead, SafeSport and U.S. Figure Skating elevated their restriction on him to a temporary suspension, which banned Coughlin from any involvement with the sport or the U.S. Olympic Committee.
In a tweet, U.S. Figure Skating officials offered their condolences to the family and said they would not be making any further comment until a later time.
On Saturday, Johnny Weir, a two-time Olympic figure skater, said that Coughlin’s “kindness is something I’ll never forget and his light will be missed.”
John Coughlin was a person who made things fun. He was a person who was talented, had an incredible laugh & would go out of his way to cheer someone up. His kindness is something I’ll never forget and his light will be missed. My prayers are with his family & friends. pic.twitter.com/0yTnODXppn
Dalilah Sappenfield, Coughlin’s former coach, mourned the figure skater’s death in a Facebook post. She described him as a “big loving teddy bear” and “one of the good guys.”
“It was so very difficult for him and all those who loved him to see his name and reputation being dragged through the mud these past few weeks, without any due process,” Sappenfield wrote.
“It was so very sad and tragic for me to see his life turned upside down in a matter of weeks, to the point where he felt alone, lost, and desperate that he no longer had it in him to fight.”
Randy Gardner, a two-time Olympic figure skater and a U.S. pairs champion, told CNN on Saturday that Coughlin’s death was “tragic any way you look at it.”
“With the allegations still unknown, we have yet to know the pressure he may have been under,” Gardner said. “I hate to hear of this as we’re also trying to protect the athletes in our sport.”
Russian skater Julia Lipnitsukaia performs during the women's short program of the ISU figure skating Grand Prix Final in Fukuoka, western Japan, on December 5, 2013. (TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images)
Mao Asada of Japan performs in the ladies' short program during All Japan Figure Skating Championships at Saitama Super Arena on December 22, 2013 in Saitama, Japan. (Photo by Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images)
Vancouver Olympics women's figure skating gold medalist Kim Yu-na performs in the women's short skating of the Korea National Figure Skating Championships in Goyang, South Korea, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Song Kyung-seok, Pool)
Olympic figure skater Gracie Gold performs at The Rink at Rockefeller Center on January 14, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Ashley Wagner competes in the women's free skate at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014 in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Japanese figure skater Akiko Suzuki performs during the women's single skating of Japan's national championships in Saitama, suburban Tokyo on December 23, 2013. (JIJI PRESS/AFP/Getty Images)
Russia's Adelina Sotnikova performs on ice of 'SYMA' sports hall in Budapest on January 17, 2014 during the free skating programme for women category of the ISU European Figure Skating Championships. (ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images)
Italy's Carolina Kostner performs during the women's short program at the European Figure Skating Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2014. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Polina Edmunds competes in the free skate program during the 2014 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships at TD Garden on January 11, 2014 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
Meryl Davis and Charlie White compete during the ice dance free skate at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014 in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir perform their free program in dance competition at the Canadian figure skating championships in Ottawa, Ontario, on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Adrian Wyld)
Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat of France perform during Ice Dance free programs of the ISU Grand Prix Final figure skating in Fukuoka, western Japan, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)
Italian ice dance pair Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte perform their short dance programme during the ISU European Figure Skating Championships on January 15, 2014 in Budapest, Hungary. (ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images)
Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Canada perform in the Ice Dance free program at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in London, Ontario on Saturday, March 16, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson)
Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov Russia perform their free programme in the European Figure Skating Championships in Syma Hall in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday Jan. 16, 2014. (AP Photo/MTI, Tamas Soki)
Madison Chock and Evan Bates compete during the ice dance free skate at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Boston, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Patrick Chan of Canada practices his routine during Figure Skating training ahead of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Iceberg Skating Palace on February 3, 2014 in Sochi, Russia. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Evgeni Plushenko, of Russia, skates his short program at the ISU European figure skating championship in Zagreb, Croatia, on Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
This picture taken on December 22, 2013 shows Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu performing during the men's single figure skating at Japan's national championships in Saitama, suburban Tokyo. (JIJI PRESS/AFP/Getty Images)
Spain's Javier Fernandez performs on ice at the 'SYMA' sports hall in Budapest, Hungary on January 18, 2014 during the men's free skating program of the ISU European Figure Skating Championships. (ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images)
Daisuke Takahashi of Japan performs in the men's free skating during All Japan Figure Skating Championships at Saitama Super Arena on December 22, 2013 in Saitama, Japan. (Photo by Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images)
Jason Brown competes in the men's free skate at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Boston, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2014. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Japan's Tatsuki Machida performs during his men free skating at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating tournament in Moscow on November 23, 2013. (YURI KADOBNOV/AFP/Getty Images)
Jeremy Abbott competes in the men's free skate at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Boston, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2014. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Russia's Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov compete in the pairs free skating at the European Figure Skating Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2014. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany perform during pairs free programs of the ISU Grand Prix Final figure skating in Fukuoka, western Japan, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)
Russia's Ksenia Stoblova and Fedor Klimov compete in the pairs free skating at the European Figure Skating Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2014. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Qing Pang and Jian Tong of China compete in the pairs free skating during day three of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2013/2014 at Marine Messe Fukuoka on December 7, 2013 in Fukuoka, Japan. (Photo by Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images)
Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch perform their free program in pairs competition at the Canadian Skating Championships Saturday Jan. 11, 2014 in Ottawa, Ontario. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Adrian Wyld)
Jason Fitz and Frank Schwab join forces to recap the draft in the best way they know how: letter grades! Fitz and Frank discuss all 32 teams division by division as they give a snapshot of how fans should be feeling heading into the 2024 season. The duo have key debates on the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders and more.
The first electric vehicle I ever drove was a Tesla Roadster in 2011. It was with great anticipation that I slid behind the wheel of the 2025 Acura ZDX Type S. Sure, it's a midsize SUV, but it wears the Type S moniker, a name reserved only for the most fun-to-drive in the Acura stable. On launch, the ZDX will be available in A-Spec and Type S trims -- both of which come equipped with a 102 kWh battery.
