Darren Criss pens heartbreaking post about his late brother

INSTAGRAM

Charles Criss, left, and Darren Criss.

Actor Darren Criss, 35, posted on Instagram on Wednesday, Mar. 2, a moving tribute to his 36-year-old brother, who had recently died by suicide. 

The Filipino American actor remembers his "vibrant, special, worldly" older brother, Charles "Chuck" Criss, who he said had been struggling with depression.

"It breaks my heart beyond measure to say that my beloved brother Charles has left us," Criss wrote illustrated with family photos and images of his 36-year old brother. "His loss leaves behind a debilitating fracture in the lives of his mother, his brother, his three small children, and their respective mothers."

"Despite our very vocal concerns about his well-being, and his protestations that everything was fine, it's crushing to say now that Chuck clearly had had a severe depression welling up in him for some time," he posted on social media. "A depression that was only outmatched by his all-too-incredible ability to conceal it. Not just from the world at large, but most tragically, from the people who were closest to him."

"We will never know just how long he was fighting this war within himself," Criss wrote. "But last week, it consumed him fully, and he succumbed by taking his own life."

Criss, who had his breakout role on the television series Glee, encouraged others who feel similarly lost or hopeless to reach out. "Seeking professional counseling and support is a wonderful way to help you see just how abundantly love is available to you," he explained. "There is simply too much love readily available in this world to lose sight of that."

"While it was a lapse in Chuck's mental wellness that took him, it is simply not something that can define who he was," Criss wrote of his brother. "All of the wonderful, inspiring, positive things about his life far outshine the circumstances by which it came to an end."

"He was a good man with a good heart who contributed enormous amounts of laughter, music, and joy to the world," said Criss. "And for the ones who were lucky enough to take part in those wonderful moments, it's marvelous to know that those memories are plentiful, everlasting, and can never be taken away."

"I loved my brother so much. And I know he loved me. Right out of the womb, he was my instant, ready-made best friend. And from that moment on, we absolutely loved bring together. Charles & Darren were an inseparable, dynamic duo," wrote Criss.  We shared nearly everything and looked out for each other. He was my confidant and companion as we discovered the world together." The brothers grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

Criss encouraged others who feel similarly lost or hopeless to reach out. "Seeking professional counseling and support is a wonderful way to help you see just how abundantly love is available to you," he explained. "There is simply too much love readily available in this world to lose sight of that."