Miami Herald gossip columnist Lesley Abravanel, however, reports that the illness was depression and that Brandt was reportedly devastated by a recent character based on him on the Tina Fey-created Netflix show, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

The character, Dr. Franff, was played by Martin Short in an episode penned by Fey herself. 

“The show definitely deeply hurt him, he was being made fun of because of the way he looks,"  Trachtenberg told The Post. “It is mean, and it was bullying. But the show was not the reason for his depression, and it was not the reason he would take his own life.”

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Originally from New Jersey, Brandt wound up in Miami to complete his residency at the University of Miami's medical school. He opened his own practice in 1988 in Coral Gables, but by the late '90s, word of mouth about the doctor's unique techniques had spread to New York, and he was increasingly flown in for private consultations by the city's rich and famous. He eventually opened a practice in New York as well, splitting his time between the two cities. In addition to his office in Coral Gables, he also ran the Dermatology Research Institute and developed a line of skincare products. 

Brandt, whose clients included Madonna, Stephanie Seymour, and Kelly Ripa, was known for his procedures resulting in something of a trademark face shape. Clients often ended up looking like an inverted heart, with plump cheeks, full lips and a taut jawline, all achieved through fillers and other injectables. Brandt was also famous for experimenting on himself. 

“I always try things on myself,” he told the New York Times in 2013. “That way I can see if it works or it doesn’t work. And it gives people reassurance.”

Little was known about Brandt's personal life, something he claimed he didn't have much time for. He never married and shared his Miami home with three dogs.