Usually, (not always) if someone has recurrent episodes of severe depression, enough to self-harm, those close to him know of an ongoing struggle. The family probably knows the whole story, but is not speaking publicly now. The ‘not speaking publicly now’ may just be grief. We’ll eventually find out more. In the age of the ‘net, it is less easy to make someone ‘Die Quickly’ w/o others noticing.
His Family are left to put themselves together and carry on, regardless of his politics and bad policies. May they find their way of harmony and beauty and again, walk it.