Abigail Breslin, who starred alongside Evan Ellingson in the heartbreaking 2009 drama, My Sister’s Keeper, paid tribute to her costar in the wake of his death.

According to a report from the San Bernardino coroner’s office, Ellingson died on November 5, 2023. He was 35 years old. The actor’s body was found in the bedroom of a residence. His cause of death remains unconfirmed; the coroner’s office currently lists it as “pending.”

Evan Ellingon’s father reportedly told TMZ that his body was discovered at a sober-living home. The actor had struggled with substance abuse in the past, his father said, but he had been doing much better in the days before his death.

The former child star was best known for his role as Jesse Fitzgerald in My Sister’s Keeper, the sibling of Abigail Breslin’s character, Anna Fitzgerald. On Monday, Breslin took to Instagram to pay tribute to her late costar.

“Evan Ellingson was a kind, funny and extremely talented human being,” Breslin began. “He played my big brother in a film I did called My Sisters Keeper. Evan was a genuinely thoughtful person who cared so much about turning in the best performance, which he accomplished. Some of his scenes in MSK still give me chills.”

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“He was also silly, funny, a prankster, a lover of Red Bull (I hated the smell of Red Bull) and he was energetic and the life of the party.”

Abigail Breslin Requests Respect for the Family of Evan Ellingson

Breslin admits she fell out of touch with Evan Ellingson after My Sister’s Keeper. However, she always thought of him fondly. “He always stayed in my mind as a wonderful and sweet soul, one I am grateful to have crossed paths with,” she said. “My prayers and condolences are with his family at this difficult time.”

“Evan, I know Heaven will welcome you with open arms. Your time on this earth may have been, devastatingly, short. Your humor, exuberance, kindness and bright light will linger forever. Sending you peace on your journey to the great beyond and who knows… maybe one day, I’ll meet you in Montana. Xx, abster”

To conclude her touching tribute, Abigail Breslin requested that the public respect Evan Ellingson and his family in the wake of his passing. “The details of Evan’s passing have not yet been released,” Breslin wrote. “I ask you to kindly not speculate on the details out of respect for his family including his daughter.”