Hugh Edward Ralph O'Connor

 Hugh Edward Ralph O'Connor (April 7, 1962 – March 28, 1995)

O' Connor was an actor known for his role as James Flynn in the 1984 film Brass and his portrayal of Lonnie Jamison on In the Heat of the Night until his death in 1995. He was the adopted son of American actor Carroll O'Connor. When he was 16, Hugh was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. He survived the cancer with chemotherapy and two surgeries but ultimately became addicted to drugs. He had been taking prescription drugs for the pain and marijuana for nausea but later became dependent on harder drugs. Despite numerous stays at rehabilitation clinics, he never conquered his addiction and remained in recovery. Hugh married Angela Clayton, a wardrobe assistant on In the Heat of the Night, on March 28, 1992. Their son, Sean Carroll O'Connor, was born in 1993. On March 28, 1995, the third anniversary of his marriage, Hugh called his father Carroll to tell him he was going to end his life. He told his father he believed he could not beat his drug addiction and could not face another drug rehabilitation program. Carroll called the police, who arrived at Hugh's Pacific Palisades, California, home just as he shot himself. The police later determined he had cocaine in his blood.

Hugh's body was cremated, and his ashes were originally buried at the Church of St. Susanna in Rome, Italy. Later, they were moved to the mausoleum of the Pontifical North American College in Campo Verano, Rome, Italy. Today, he has a cenotaph at the Church of St. Susanna. O'Connor also has a cenotaph at Westwood Memorial Park, where Carroll and Nancy O'Connor are both buried. After Hugh's death, Carroll successfully lobbied to get the state of California to pass legislation that allows family members of an addicted person or anyone injured by a drug dealer's actions, including employers, to sue for reimbursement for medical treatment and rehabilitation costs.