Dean Reed - Death

Death

Six weeks after his appearance on 60 Minutes, Reed was found dead in Zeuthener Lake near his home in East Berlin. Though it was officially ruled an accidental drowning, his friends in Germany suspected that his death was a suicide and his family in the U.S. claimed that he had been murdered.

Reed's suicide note was later found on the back of a screenplay in his car. In it, Reed expressed his regret about his crumbling relationship with his third wife. He apologised to Erich Honecker, General Secretary of the SED, personally for his actions which could result in a bad image for the GDR. The note was put into state files as classified information, which did not resurface until after German reunification. Said Eberhard Fensch, whom was addressed in the note: "The reason was to spare his wife's feelings. There was no other reason. The letter even contained a greeting to Erich Honecker. Why would we cover that up?"

In 2004, the Russian Federation "Rossiya" television channel aired a documentary on Dean Reed, "Кто Вы, Мистер Рид?" ("Who Are You, Mister Reed?"), speculating on the possibilities of Reed having been a CIA, KGB or Stasi agent, but failing to present any concrete evidence to support any such theories. It is known, however, that he did work for the international department of the East German intelligence service (Stasi) during the period 1976–1978.