Batman Actor Commits Suicide After Mental Health Struggles

A talented actor who had appeared in The Batman film and worked in theatre took his own life after struggling with emotional and financial issues. An inquest revealed that he died while his flatmate was out for just 40 minutes.

Phil Aizlewood, 37, had been living with a friend and fellow actor Sam Thomas. Mr. Thomas had been doing everything he could to support him in the weeks leading up to his death. When Mr. Thomas left briefly for a run, Phil went into the kitchen and ended his life. When his friend returned, he found the flat unusually quiet and discovered the tragic scene after asking a neighbor to help open the door.

Mr. Thomas tried CPR and managed to get Phil’s heart beating again twice. Paramedics arrived soon after and continued resuscitation efforts, but he could not be saved.

Phil had recently gone through a painful breakup and was under serious financial pressure. These issues had taken a big toll on his mental health. His two half-sisters, Jane Aizlewood and Kate Staniforth, described him as “intelligent, precocious and talented.”

He grew up in Taunton, Somerset. He lost his father to early-onset Alzheimer’s when he was 14, and his mother died of pancreatic cancer when he was 26. He trained at the Italia Conti theatre school and later worked in cruise ship entertainment, theatre directing, and acted in the London stage show Peaky Blinders: The Rise. In 2022, he also had a small role in the major film The Batman.

Leading up to his death, Phil had shown signs of worsening mental health. “I had been concerned about Phil’s safety for the last few weeks,” said Mr. Thomas. “I’d noticed his mental health was unstable. He would have highs and lows.”

His medical records showed he was diagnosed with mixed anxiety and depression on July 10. On July 2, he told his GP he was having suicidal thoughts. He was seen the next day by a local mental health crisis team but was not considered an immediate danger to himself at the time.

He had recently changed medications and was receiving therapy. On the day he died, concerned friends had even called an ambulance for him around midday. A mental health nurse named Kemi Otun said he had told her about two past suicide attempts and ongoing thoughts of ending his life.

“He was subdued and clearly low in mood, but he was able to speak to us and was willing to engage with us,” she told the court. “He said he didn’t want to go to hospital. He was willing to accept help.”

Phil agreed to go to a Crisis House (a mental health support facility) if there was a bed available. If not, he planned to stay with one of his sisters for the weekend. However, Mr. Thomas said that after the professionals left, Phil felt “completely overwhelmed” and there was confusion about what was supposed to happen next.

“I was very much of the opinion that there was no clear plan in place for Phil’s care,” Mr. Thomas said. “There was an air of dejection following that meeting.”

A staff member from the mental health team, Gideon Garbrah, said Phil didn’t want to be admitted anywhere. He also mentioned that Phil could have been forced into care under the Mental Health Act the next day, but he died before that could happen.

Phil was given a verbal safety plan, which included staying with his sisters or calling emergency services if he felt unsafe. But friends and housemates felt left in the dark.

Dr. Hubbeling, a psychiatrist with the home treatment team, explained that professionals face real challenges when a person still has decision-making ability but refuses care. “It’s very difficult to predict suicide, it’s a rare event,” she said. “It’s impossible to use the Mental Health Act on people who have decision-making capacity and deny immediate suicidal plans.”

Mr. Thomas left for a run around 4:24 p.m. and returned around 5:04 p.m. to find Phil had taken his life.

The coroner, Jean Harkin, said the friends had done all they could. “Friends were on suicide watch day and night desperately trying to hold him together,” she said. “They feel they were left screaming into a void unheard and that if Phil’s suicidal ideation had been taken seriously, that Phil would still be alive today.”

She recommended that emergency services leave written instructions for patients and caregivers to prevent similar confusion in the future. She plans to write to the London Ambulance Service about this.

Phil’s sister Jane said: “If anything can come out of this and any practice means things will be improved then obviously it will be a really good thing.”

In her final words, the coroner stated: “On July 26th, friends who had been looking after Phil very well and taking on the responsibility of caring for him… these friends did not fully understand what the plan was. Sam felt able to go on a run and it was while he was out on that run that he came back and Phil had sadly hanged himself with a ligature.”

She added that even a short, written care note from professionals could help in future cases. “There’s a possibility that clarification even in the form of a scribble being left for mental health purposes could be given to family and friends in future.”
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