Second Kevin Spacey Sexual Assault Accuser Dies in a Year

Another accuser who came forward with allegations of sexual assault against actor Kevin Spacey has died.

Ari Behn, a Norwegian author and television host, claimed that Spacey groped him while attending a 2007 Nobel Peace Prize concert. In a 2017 interview, Behn told the Lillehammer-based radio station P4 that the two struck up a conversation after being seated next to one another.

"After five minutes he said, 'Hey, let's go out and have a cigarette,'" he claimed. "Then he puts his hand under the table and grabs me by the balls."

Behn's manager, Geir Hakonsund, confirmed on Wednesday evening that the 47-year-old -- who was formerly married to Princess Martha Louise -- had died by suicide. "It's with great sorrow in our hearts that we, those closest to Ari Behn, must report that he took his own life today," Hakonsund said in a statement to Norwegian media.

King Harald V, Behn's former father-in-law, said that he and his wife, Queen Sonja, "received news of Ari Behn's death with great sorrow."

"Ari was an important member of our family for many years, and we carry with us warm, good memories of him," the couple claimed in a statement to press. "We are grateful that we got to know him."

The royal family asked for "respect for our private lives in the time to come."

Behn is the only the most recent Spacey accuser to pass away in recent months. In September, attorneys for a massage therapist who alleged that Spacey groped him during a session announced that he had died ahead of a trial -- a civil case regarding charges of sexual battery and assault. The cause of death was not disclosed.

There was a third individual reported dead in February, although the circumstances surrounding that case warrant separate consideration. Linda Culkin was hit by a car and killed in February after spending 51 months in a federal prison for harassing, stalking, and threatening Spacey after a former patient alleged that the actor had assaulted him. Culkin mailed Spacey white powder and terrorized him with fake bomb threats.

Despite the fact that more than a dozen individuals came forward with assault claims spanning over decades -- including actor Anthony Rapp -- Spacey no longer faces any assault charges. After the massage therapist's mysterious death, the case against Spacey was dismissed, while others were dismissed due to lack of evidence.

In a bit of odd timing, Spacey released a video on YouTube one day before Behn's death, in which he advised viewers to "kill" their enemies "with kindness." The Christmas Eve message -- a now annual tradition for him -- was not well-received.

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