Actor Dieter Brummer is being mourned after he died aged 45 on the weekend. Photo / Getty Images
Actor Dieter Brummer is being mourned after he died aged 45 on the weekend. Photo / Getty Images
Tributes are flowing following the death of former Home and Away actor Dieter Brummer, who died at the weekend, aged 45.
Brummer was found dead in Glenhaven, in Sydney's northwest, on Saturday afternoon.
Australian actress Kristy Wright, who started playing Chloe Richards on Home and Away in 1995 when Brummer was finishing his four-year stint on the show, took to Instagram to honour the actor "even though the tears won't stop flowing".
Wright, 43, revealed the pair secretly dated behind the scenes and managed to avoid media fanfare.
"Dieter and I started dating when I was 17," Wright began in a lengthy post.
Dieter Brummer pictured in 2010. Photo / Getty Images
"He had just finished Home and Away and I had just started and I'm not sure how we did it but we managed to keep our relationship out of the eyes of the scrutinising media. Our young love was able to blossom in private.
"Our first date was at Balmoral beach. He took me on a picnic. We ended up sitting there for almost 10 hours from the afternoon into the middle of the night discussing everything from the cosmos to our childhoods and our hopes and dreams.
"I fell in love with him very quickly and fortunately for me he felt the same way. We were each others safety blankets and we were best friends. Even after we broke up years later, our friendship never died."
Wright, who shared 10 private hard copy photos of Brummer, added: "He had high expectations of people because he knew that we as a species were capable of so much more. He didn't suffer fools and he was a proud member of the grammar police," Wright said.
"He loved words. Loved knowing an obscure word that no one else knew. His favourite topic was existentialism. He was deep. Much deeper than most people know.
"I'm so grateful that we stayed friends and for over 25 years he has been a constant in my life and someone that I could call at any hour," she wrote.
"We were that for each other. The world has lost a gift this weekend. A luminous, unique, complex man. A man who deserved more."
"I love you, Deet. My deepest condolences go out to your beautiful family. They adored you more than anything in this world and my heart is breaking knowing how much pain they are in right now."
Wright's emotional tribute comes just two years after she mourned the death of her on-screen boyfriend, fellow Home and Away star Ben Unwin, who played Jesse McGregor, who also died tragically aged just 41.
Fellow co-stars also took to social media to pay tribute to Brummer, with Tempany Deckert, who played Selina Cook, calling him the "class clown" of the show.
In a statement released by Brummer's family on Monday, the star actor was remembered as "handsome, talented, funny, complicated and beloved".
"On behalf of my family, We post this today with a heavy heart. We lost our handsome, talented, funny, complicated and beloved Dieter on Saturday morning," the statement read.
"He has left a massive hole in our lives and our World will never be the same."
The family said their "thoughts go out to all of you who knew him, loved him, or worked with him over the years".
"We appreciate you respecting our privacy at this terrible time," they said.
Former castmate Debra Lawrance, who played Pippa Fletcher on Home and Away from 1990 to 1998, also paid tribute to Brummer.
"Vale our beautiful Dieter Brummer. Such desperately sad news. Dieter was a golden presence in Home And Away, much loved and very much part of the family," she wrote in a post to Instagram.
"My heart goes out to his family and friends during this painfully difficult time."
Vale Dieter Brummer, joined the Neighbours alumni in 2012 as Capt. Troy Miller. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. 💛 pic.twitter.com/JkN6CLvbqQ
The Home and Away Instagram page also shared a touching message, remembering Brummer as a "much-loved" member of the cast.
"Home And Away and Channel 7 are deeply saddened to hear of Dieter Brummer's passing. Dieter was a much-loved Home and Away cast member and celebrated by Australian and international audiences for his award-winning portrayal of Shane Parrish," the post read.
"We send our sincere condolences to Dieter's family and friends during this very difficult time."
Home and Away actress Georgie Parker left a comment on the post, saying she too was devastated about Brummer's death.
"Such sad news, such a lovely man and a good actor too. Much love to his family and loved ones at this terribly difficult time," she wrote.
Brummer became famous for his role as Shane Parrish and spent four years on the soap from 1992-1996. Appearing alongside Australian actress Melissa George, he was part of one of the most famous couples on Aussie television.
He became a viewer favourite and took out the most popular actor Silver Logie in both 1995 and 1996.
Brummer went on to appear in TV dramas including the Underbelly series, Rescue Special Ops, Winners and Losers and a stint on Neighbours in both 2011 and 2012 as the character Troy Miller.
The official Neighbours Twitter account also issued a statement on Monday.
"Vale Dieter Brummer, joined the Neighbours alumni in 2012 as Capt. Troy Miller. Our thoughts are with his family and friends," it read.
Brummer worked as a window cleaner between acting roles and ran his own successful business, cleaning high-rise buildings around Sydney.
Responding to the sad news, a Seven spokesperson told news.com.au: "Home And Away and Channel 7 are deeply saddened to hear of Dieter Brummer's passing.
"Dieter was a much-loved Home And Away cast member and celebrated by Australian and international audiences for his award-winning portrayal of Shane Parrish. We send our sincere condolences to Dieter's family and friends during this very difficult time."
