Former U.S. figure skating champion Christopher Bowman has died of a possible drug overdose in Los Angeles. He was 40 years old.
The former skater's body was found Thursday at a motel in the North Hills section of Los Angeles, and an autopsy is planned for later this week.
A former child actor, Bowman was once one of figure skating's rising stars in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Known as "Bowman the Showman," he won the U.S. men's figure skating title twice in 1989 and 1992 and was runner-up twice. He also won the silver medal at the 1989 world championships and bronze the next year. He competed in the 1988 and 1992 Olympics, but did not win a medal.
The skater had a daughter with his former wife Annette Bowman. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
Bowman was known to be addicted to cocaine during his career and underwent treatment twice. In November of 2004, he pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor charges involving possession of a gun while drunk. He also was beaten in 1993 in a seedy neighborhood known for drug dealing in Pittsburgh.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.