The Tragic Way Christina Applegate's Ex-Boyfriend Lee Grivas Died

When Lee Grivas died a month shy of his 27th birthday in his LA apartment on June 29, 2008, the tragedy of his death was both overt and subtle, yet the aftermath of shock and grief was all too familiar. Grivas was just one of the 1.1 million people who died of a drug overdose between 2000 and 2022, according to Rand. The vast majority of the others were only known to their friends and families, but in Grivas' case, in the years preceding his death he had dated actress Christina Applegate, so he'd gained a bit of celebrity by proxy. 

Though already split up by June of 2008, Applegate met Grivas through a mutual acquaintance in 2005 or 2006 (depending on the source). Applegate's marriage was ending at the time, and as People explains it,  Grivas was someone she could have fun with and keep things light. She was 10 years older than Grivas, who was just around 24 years old when they met. He'd grown up in New York and before making his way to LA, had spent time as a fisherman in the frigid seas of Alaska. He'd also studied photography in art school and hoped to turn it into a profession. He'd worked hard to get to where he was, and dating a beautiful, famous actress was likely an exciting if unexpected development. 

Grivas told People early in the relationship, "We're just very happy with each other. I like making her smile and she likes making me smile. It's really innocent and fun." Even though he was young, Grivas seemed to already have enough life experience to appreciate the uncomplicated simplicity of enjoying someone else's company. 

While professional fishing is among the most dangerous jobs in the world, it wasn't a lifelong pursuit for Lee Grivas. Still, he'd developed other dangerous proclivities as a teenager living in New York. According to People, Grivas had been kicked out of school after being caught with marijuana and also was experimenting with inhalants and cocaine by then. His mother enrolled him in a small school for troubled teens called the Family Foundation School. It had opened in the 1980s and closed in 2014. The class size was about 30 per year, but The New York Times reported in 2018 that an unofficial tally was kept by a member of the alumni and they'd counted more than 100 former students as having died from the school over the years in large part due to overdosing or suicides. Though Grivas seemed to do well there, and enrolled in art school after he graduated, he never really left drug use behind. At least not for good. 

Grivas dated Christina Applegate on and off for a couple of years, but by the time a neighbor found Grivas's body on July 1 — two days after the death date engraved on his headstone, the pair had split for good following one last try in April. According to The National Enquirer, his abuse of drugs and alcohol was the cause of the couple's issues. Still, Applegate was reportedly shocked at the news. 

It's unclear what drug killed Lee Grivas, but a syringe was found near his body, per People. As his mother wrote on Find a Grave, though Grivas was warm and generous with anyone he met, and loved to pursue adventure, "his downfall was his constant struggle with addiction to narcotics which ultimately took his life." Grivas' death was tragic in the way so many overdose deaths are; he was young and he was loved. He had unrealized dreams yet had already experienced some amazing things. Still, the scourge of addiction persisted to the point of no return. According to Rand, more than 40% of Americans said in 2024 they knew someone who died of an overdose, which makes Grivas' story and his family's terrible loss far too familiar. 

In a statement, Christina Applegate said, "Lee was an incredible human being who was an extremely important and beautiful part of my life. He is missed beyond words. He touched so many and I feel much sadness for his mother, brother, and all of his family and friends."

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).