Christina Applegate Remembers Late Love Lee Grivas After His Tragic Overdose

It’s been 17 years since Christina Applegate’s ex-boyfriend Lee Grivas died at just age 26 from an apparent overdose.

While the romance was not meant to be it, Applegate has never forgotten the relationship – with the actress recently making rare remarks about it nearly two decades after his passing on her podcast, MeSsy.

In candid comments, Applegate, 53, described how her boyfriend ‘wanted to escape’ – along with her heartbroken reaction to his death. 

‘My boyfriend who passed away, it was like I tried everything, right? And he still wanted to escape. When he passed away, it was just like, “F*** man,”‘ she said. 

Grivas was just in his mid-twenties when his life was cut short. He was found dead in his apartment in Hollywood on July 1, 2008. 

‘Grivas did have a history of drug abuse, and our investigator found a syringe at the scene,’  Lt. Fred Corral from the L.A. Department of Coroner told People at the time. ‘But we’re not making any preliminary conclusions until a toxicology report is completed.’

Applegate was fresh from her split from then-husband Johnathon Schaech when her romance with Grivas began. 

At the time, the actress was performing on Broadway’s Sweet Charity when one of the show dancers introduced her to Grivas, a fisherman, aspiring photographer, and skateboarder, according to TMZ.

But his alleged substance abuse is said to have driven a major wedge into the relationship. 

The National Enquirer reported at the time that the duo had ‘a rocky on-again, off-again relationship due to his continual battle with drugs and alcohol.’ 

The pair were not romantically together at the time of his death, but they apparently gave the relationship ‘one last shot’ several months prior to his death after Grivas reportedly tried getting sober again, the publication reported. 

In a statement, Applegate said she was devastated by the death.

‘I am profoundly saddened,’ she said after his passing. ‘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.’

Applegate found love again and has been married to Dutch musician Martyn LeNoble since 2013. They have daughter Sadie, 14, together. 

The star has stayed mainly private on Grivas’ death ever since but did reflect on his passing on Tuesday’s episode of her MeSsy podcast.

The Dead To Me star was joined by her co-host Jamie-Lynn Sigler as well as Sopranos actor Robert Iler – who got candid about his own battle with addiction. .

‘I kind of don’t understand sometimes like with Lee, which people know about. You could Google it, whatever,’ Applegate began.

‘My boyfriend who passed away, it was like I tried everything, right? And he still wanted to escape. When he passed away, it was just like, “F*** man.”‘  

Meanwhile, Applegate has been candid with followers about her health ordeal.  

Applegate revealed in August 2021 that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis earlier that year. 

In people who have the autoimmune disease, myelin covering nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord is damaged.

The damaged myelin slows down the brains signals to the rest of the body, and suffers can exhibit muscle weakness, lack of coordination, vision problems and potential cognitive issues.

Applegate shared that her symptoms rapidly became so debilitating that it was difficult for her to film the third and final season of her popular Netflix dramedy Dead To Me.

The series released its final episodes in November 2022, after producers adjusted the shooting schedule to accommodate Apple’s condition.

She announced the following year that she didn’t plan to continue appearing in films or on television shows, though she didn’t rule out voice work, which would be less physically demanding.

One project that she’s still attached to is an animated revival of her popular sitcom Married With Children, which aired from 1987 to 1997 on Fox.

The revival will feature the return of the original cast, including Ed O’Neill as Al Bundy, Katey Sagal as Peggy Bundy and David Faustino as Bud Bundy.