Perez Hilton's Private Struggles: What the Public Missed

I have known Perez Hilton since 2004, before Perez became a global brand, a cultural lightning rod, or the face people attached to an entire era of internet gossip. We are three months apart in age and I am lucky enough to call him one of my close friends.

In the days since Perez attempted to take his own life, I have watched an extraordinary debate unfold online. Alongside the messages of concern and compassion, there have been comments calling what happened to him “karma” or punishment for the hurt he caused during the years when PerezHilton.com was at the center of celebrity culture.

I understand the anger behind some of those reactions. I also know something about the man at the center of them.