Houston Tumlin, who played the son of Will Ferrell’s main character in the 2006 movie “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” died Tuesday, authorities said. He was 28.
Shelby County Coroner Lina Evans confirmed that Tumlin died by suicide at his home in Pelham, Alabama. The Pelham Police Department told E! News it conducted a death investigation Tuesday night and said Tumlin had died.
In his only role as an actor, Tumlin played Walker Bobby, the 10-year-old son of Ricky Bobby, played by Ferrell in “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.”
According to AL.com, Tumlin was born in Pell City, Alabama, on Dec. 27, 1992, and graduated from Victory Christian High School in 2011. According to Tumlin’s Instagram account, he served in the U.S. Army and was promoted to sergeant in 2017.
In 2015, AL.com reported that Tumlin was serving in the Army’s 101st Airborne Division.
Tumlin’s girlfriend, Charity Robertson, confirmed his death in a Facebook post, writing that, “I just still feel like this is a really bad dream that I can’t wake up from.”
“I’ll miss your big heart, caring spirit, infectious laughter, and oh man could the list go on,” Robertson wrote. “I love you so much Houston Lee and thank you for loving me so passionately and unapologetically for the time we had each other.”