Nick Santino Commits Suicide After Euthanizing Dog

A 47-year old actor killed himself on Wednesday after being struck with grief after euthanizing his dog the day prior, friends say.

Nick Santino, whose television credits include "All My Children" and "Guiding Light," was said to have felt pressure from fellow tenants living in his One Lincoln Plaza building to get rid of his pitbull mix Rocco because of the dog's large size.

The New York Post reports that in 2010, the building's management had started to enforce stricter rules regarding animals living in the building, but having lived in the building before the rules, Rocco had been exempt.

Even so, Santino received complaints regarding his dog with one neighbor saying, "Everybody knows that he had been harassed by the building management."

Upon hearing the news, a condo board member said he was sorry that Santino had died but, "It has nothing to do with the pet policy. You just assumed that [his suicide] was a result of a board's decision."

Sources say Santino left a suicide note stating, "Today I betrayed my best friend and put down my best friend. Rocco trusted me and I failed him. He didn't deserve this."

Curbed notes that Santino's experience highlights the growing number of tenants struggling to keep pets in their homes, noting that some have gone so far as to starving and drugging their pets in order to qualify under building rules.