Who was Linda Holston? Woman who jumped to death from NYC high-rise with dog ID’d as actress
An elderly woman who jumped to her death from a Manhattan high-rise building with her dog has now been identified as actress Linda Holston. The pet was reportedly a rat terrier named Jake who was 16 and a half years old.
The 60-year-old performer had moved to New York City in 2017 from New Mexico, where she acted in the local theater circuit. She had moved to New York to study acting at the William Esper Studio and had completed the program in 2019, according to her profile on Backstage.com. The website noted that she graduated from the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts in California in 1981.
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Holston was described in the profile as being 5 feet tall with brown hair and blue eyes. A photo of hers on the site showed her smiling broadly while holding a small dog with a yellow ribbon around its neck. Speaking to the New York Post, a receptionist at Pure Paws Veterinary Care on East 42nd Street said Holston regularly brought her pooch to the practice for care and treatment.
On a fateful Friday afternoon, Holston jumped from the roof of the 46-story luxury rental building on Tenth Avenue, clutching on to her beloved pet. She left behind a note that talked about stress. Police sources told the Post that bottles of medication were recovered from her apartment. "She was so sweet," a building resident told the newspaper of Holston upon finding out that she was identified as the suicide victim.
Who was Linda Holston?
Raised in California, Holston seemed to embrace life in the Big Apple and what it had to offer. She frequently posted photos on social media of herself attending plays or a Yankee game. Her Facebook page reportedly had check-ins at the Central Park Zoo, New York Botanical Garden and Hudson Yards. She also posted videos of empty streets in March 2020 after statewide lockdowns were enforced. One of her friends advised her to stay safe as she was "in the hot spot". However, her photos did not feature a significant partner or children.
On her IMDb profile, Holston has two acting roles listed, including one in a short film called ‘Larry Larissa Linda’ another in a TV show titled ‘Conversations in Apartment 3A’. According to her Facebook page, she also appeared in an off-Broadway play titled ‘The Accidental Awakening’ in 2019.
On her LinkedIn profile, Holston listed a series of sales jobs before moving to New York. Her last job in NYC was as a part-time fundraiser for the Manhattan Theater Club, a gig that ended in March 2020. Meanwhile, instead of a job title under her name, she wrote, "What a wonderful world."
That said, it is unclear how the seemingly under-worked actress was able to afford the monthly rent of her apartment at the lavish Victory building, considering studios alone are rented out at $3,200 a month, and a two-bedroom flat is rented at $5,500 a month.