‘Slumped over the wheel’: makeup artist to the stars is found dead

A top Hollywood makeup artist has been found dead, with the high-profile names he worked with taking to social media in the aftermath to pay their respects.

Jake Bailey was found yesterday by his assistant slumped over the wheel of his SUV. He had taken his own life.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office has already confirmed that 37-year-old Mr Bailey was found dead at 8.25am on Friday and that he appeared to have suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning in an apparent suicide.

A postmortem will confirm the cause of death later in the week.

Jake's talents were called upon for red-carpet events, shoots, and music videos by the likes of Katy Perry, Paris Hilton, and Selena Gomez.

 

Jake- My sweet, sensitive soul. What a wonderful journey and friendship we had together. What beautiful art we created together. We conquered the worlds biggest stages, together. I know you felt life so intensely and it created this incredible artistic passion in you that came out in everything you touched, from the amazing images you took to the ways you painted your muses, highlighting the beauty in everyone. You had the most otherworldly eye to detail… we would laugh about how you could take a nap in that eyelid crease you created (cause it was so deep) or Jake's 45 minute eyes… Which was such a precise lash that even Bambi couldn't rival. You essentially created my "look" ever since we met on the music video for Hot and Cold. We always confided in each other, rallied each other at our lows and pushed each other to be our best. We never got comfortable and I know that was why we did the best work together. My favorite moments of recent times is when we would meditate together during breaks on different jobs…tune all the noise out, forget about hollywood and the chaos that surrounds it, and look for a slice of peace, 20 minutes at a time. I know sometimes it was hard to find consistent happiness here on this earth, I understand you in that way. I want you to know now finally and forevermore that I appreciate you and all the lessons we traded each other in this life. I love you. No more work, no more searching, you are finally at peace. Every time I sit in that chair we shared, just know, no one holds a brush to you, friend. Be free now. My prayers are with the Bailey family.

A photo posted by KATY PERRY (@katyperry) on Oct 23, 2015 at 11:54pm PDT

He was particularly close to Ms Perry, who used him for several high-profile glossy magazine shoots – including her September 2014 issue of Cosmopolitan.

The 31-year-old musician earlier left a lengthy tribute to Jake's "sweet, sensitive soul" on her Instagram page.

She added: "My favorite moments of recent times is when we would meditate together during breaks on different jobs… tune all the noise out, forget about Hollywood and the chaos that surrounds it, and look for a slice of peace, 20 minutes at a time."

And Paris Hilton in her tribute had called him "an amazing person, an incredibly talented makeup artist and friend".

The 34-year-old added: "He was my makeup artist for the past 15 years. We travelled the world together, worked on so many beautiful projects and shared so many memories. Will miss him so much."

A neighbour who lived beside Jake on Holly Drive in Hollywood told Mail Online: "His assistant had showed up with coffee for him and then we heard yelling and screaming and a car alarm going off, so my wife ran out."

They added: "They had called 911 and did everything they could until help arrived, but it was too late. The assistant was really shaken up."