The former child actor fatally mauled by a Siberian tiger at an English zoo struggled with serious mental-health issues, his “utterly devastated” family said Tuesday.
William Chapman’s family broke their silence in a statement issued three days after his gruesome death at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, asking authorities to help figure out why their 23-year-old loved one jumped into the tiger’s enclosure.
“The family are utterly devastated by their loss and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened,” the family told The Independent.
“William suffered from significant mental illness over a number of years and was consequently prescribed strong medication,” they added.
“The family are hopeful that the relevant authorities will do their utmost to get to the bottom of why our amazing son did what he did,” the statement continued.
Chapman was remembered by loved ones as “a bright, warm and engaging young man whom his family dearly loved – and William loved them back.”
The disturbed man shared his own video to Instagram on Saturday minutes before his death as he walked up to Altai, a 420-pound Siberian tiger, after climbing into its enclosure.
Chapman was seen “pacing around with his headphones in” and “happily dancing” before asking fellow zoo-goers to snap a picture of him with the tiger in the background, according to witnesses.
The 420-pound tiger, named Altai, dragged Chapman into a wooded part of the enclosure and killed him.
First responders found him dead at the scene.
The one-time actor performed alongside “Harry Potter” stars as a child, according to The Sun.
Following the brutal attack, zoo staff raised a black screen around the exhibit and shuttered the park for the rest of the weekend.
“We are working closely with the authorities to ascertain exactly what happened. The safety and wellbeing of our visitors, staff and animals remain our highest priority,” Yorkshire Wildlife Park said in a statement
“Tiger King” star Carole Baskin insisted that the tiger “was not doing anything wrong.”
“The tiger was not doing anything wrong by being a tiger. I am relieved to hear that the animal was not harmed,” Baskin told The Post in a written statement.
