Paul Robbins Sierra Towers suicide: What led to a 75 year old man with a terminal illness jumping to his death from a luxury West Hollywood apartment home to stars & celebrities?
A prospective buyer who was touring a multi-million dollar West Hollywood apartment before jumping to his suicide death had recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness according to reports.
The man, identified as Paul Robbins, 75, died last Monday after leaving a suicide note for his twin sons.
Page Six had reported that an unidentified individual was viewing an apartment on the 27th floor of the luxurious Sierra Towers, an upscale high-end residential building, home to some of Hollywood’s brightest stars, when he jumped to his death.
The realtor is said to have spent more than five minutes trying to stop Robbins from jumping. Detective Steve Blagg told Too Fab: ‘He was very matter of fact. He wasn’t battling, he never yelled “Don’t come close”. He just said he’d made his mind up.’
Robbins, a retired City of Long Beach worker, had divorced his wife in 2007 and went to live on his own in a small apartment where neighbors told the dailymail he was ‘lonely and kept to himself’.
‘He seemed lonely and that she never saw family or friends visit him’
Detective Blagg said he indicated that he did not want to become incapacitated shortly before jumping to his death.
Neighbors relayed Robbins having only recently received the news about his health.
It’s understood he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, and left a suicide note to his children explaining he didn’t want to be a burden on the family.
His downstairs neighbor in the Hollywood Holt Plaza apartment complex, Halya Engel, said he seemed lonely and that she never saw family or friends visit him.
‘He was a nice guy. I spoke to him often. I think he was kind of lonely, and living alone. Whenever I ran into him we would strike up a conversation. We would talk for two hours at a time,’ the neighbor told the dailymail.
‘He never indicated anything was off. But the last couple weeks I noticed he wasn’t talking. He would just say hello and keep going.
‘He found out that he was ill. He left a note to his children. It said that he was ill and he didn’t want to be a burden to anybody. It had to be a terminal illness.’
Crisply ironed creases in his slacks
The neighbor said despite Robbins’ alleged mortal condition, he still took extreme care not to catch COVID-19. ‘Even a few days before he passed away, he was still avoiding the elevator,’ she said. ‘That’s what I couldn’t understand.
‘He was always wearing gloves and a mask. He would go out of his way, up the stairs. Him being over 65, I thought he was being very careful not to catch covid. That’s why this whole thing didn’t make any sense to me,’ the woman added.
Engel said Robbins kept his apartment in pristine condition and always appearing with crisply ironed creases in his slacks. Everything was in its place the woman reiterated.
Court records cited by the dailymail show Robbins and his wife of 32 years divorcing in 2007 and moved out of the marital home in Mar Vista. The couple had two twin sons.
The estranged husband previously lived in an LA condo he owned before selling up and moving to the rented apartment in Hollywood about six years ago.
Robbins worked for the City of Long Beach before retiring after 28 years service in 2002.
In Doheny Rd befinden sich die Sierra Towers pic.twitter.com/wyl9q9abVz
— ͏ (@vinq808) November 2, 2020
Why did 75 year old jump off luxury building home to stars?
Robbin’s next-door neighbor, who gave her name as Susan, told the dailymail the retired man had kept his illness secret from his acquaintances in the building.
‘I didn’t know before, I didn’t know he was sick even. I found out after that he was sick and he just decided to end his life.’
‘He didn’t want to make his family suffer,’ she said. ‘I don’t know how he did that. It takes a lot of guts. I can see taking a lot of sleeping pills, but to jump off a building?’
Managers for Robbin’s complex who spoke to police after his death declined to comment. Security guards outside Sierra Towers in Hollywood also declined.
Confounding investigators is why the terminally ill man had chosen to jump to his death from the residence which has housed an array of former and present stars including, Sidney Poitier, Lindsay Lohan, Elton John, Sandra Bullock, Britney Spears, Cher and Joan Collins.
Offered, Detective Blagg: ‘He’s the only one that could have told us and he didn’t.’
Sources told Page Six that at least one of the building’s notable residents witnessed the man’s body on the ground. The incident has reportedly become a source of conversation for neighbors.
Management and security personnel for Sierra Towers said they had ‘no information’ and would not discuss details of the incident.
Sierra Towers, built in 1965 for $12million, has emerged as a top luxury residence known for its gorgeous views and million dollar listings.
There is no other residential building in Los Angeles that has housed such a diverse and large group of notables,’ Hollywood Reporter wrote in 2011.
‘You have to be in full makeup at all times when you get in the elevator – you never know who you are going to run into,’ Nikki Haskell, a talk-show host and resident, said.
The lowest current listing with the realtor was $11,950 for a two bedroom, two bathroom unit that is 1,672 sqft. Specific amenities for that listing were not disclosed.
