Israeli TV superstar Dudu Topaz commits suicide in prison cell

Topaz, 62, once known as a “ratings king” of Israeli television, was accused of plotting a series of attacks on high-ranking TV executives Avi Nir and Shira Margalit and showbiz agent Boaz Ben-Zion, whom he accused of ditching him in favor of reality television shows.

Shira Margalit, deputy director general of the Reshet television network, was beaten up by unknown attackers outside her Tel Aviv home in May, while Avi Nir, director-general of the Keshet network, was attacked in November. Topaz’s agent Boaz Ben-Zion was beaten a few months earlier. All three sustained serious wounds in the attacks apparently by Topaz’s hired men.

The entertainer allegedly had went on a revenge spree against the aforementioned network executives four years ago after the cancellation of his long-standing variety show, "HaRishon BaBidur", and multiple rejections from rival channels and newspapers he offered to write guest columns for.

Topaz was charged with assault and battery, conspiracy to commit a crime, extortion and obstruction of justice, and was due to appear in court next week.

End of a charismatic TV host
On Thursday (August 20th, 2009), the comedian-actor ended his life by hanging himself in Israel’s Nitzan Prison, about an hour from Tel Aviv.

Topaz, who was being held in a special unit for prisoners at risk of harming themselves, was found hanging by the cord of an electric kettle from the shower in his cell Thursday morning at around 6 a.m. local time.

Efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful, and after an hour he was pronounced dead, said Israeli prisons spokeswoman Sivan Weizmann.

"We knew that he was in danger of killing himself, so we put him in a cell with five other prisoners and two cameras that watched him 24 hours a day," Weizmann said.

Topaz, a diabetic, had previously tried to commit suicide by overdosing on insulin, after which he was put under round-the-clock surveillance in prison. Two security cameras were installed in his cell. But there was no camera in the shower stall next to his cell.

Topaz’s lawyer lashes out at prison authorities
Meanwhile, a lawyer for Topaz blamed the prison authorities for not preventing his death. He said his client was clearly a danger to himself and should have been held in a psychiatric hospital.

“All the signs pointed to the fact that he was likely to harm himself,” Zion Amir, his attorney, said. “Why did they not guard him?”

"I told the judges his life was in danger," Amir continued. "They thought that he would flee the country, that he would hurt more people. He should have been held in a psychiatric institution, or a hospital, or bailed out and guarded.

"Over the past two months, he kept repeating: 'I am a good man. I want them to know this.' "

About Topaz
Topaz, born David Goldenberg in Haifa in 1946, came to prominence in the early 1990s as a charismatic and hugely popular TV host with his appearances in the immensely popular prime-time, one-hour "HaRishon BaBidur" or "First in Entertainment."

His show, "HaRishon BaBidur" that aired until 2004 on Channel 2 commercial channel is still considered as one of the highest rated shows ever aired on commercial TV in Israel.

Topaz was a very popular TV host in the Israeli public TV Channel 1 in the eighties too. He also did some successful sketch comedy shows on stage.