Ari Behn, author and ex of Norwegian Princess Martha Louise, died by suicide on Dec. 25 at 47-years-old, E! reported.

“It’s with great sorrow in our hearts that we, those closest to Ari Behn, must report that he took his own life today,” Geir Håkonsund, Behn’s manager, told the Norwegian media via a statement. “We ask for respect for our private lives in the time to come.”

The king of Norway, King Herald, also released a statement expressing how upset the royal family was to hear of their former son-in-law’s passing.

“It is with great sadness the Queen and I have received the new of Ari Behn’s passing. Ari has been an important part of our family for many years, and we carry warm, fond memories of him,” he said. “We are grateful that we got to know him. We grieve that our grandchildren have now lost their beloved father - and have deep compassion for his parents and siblings, who have now lost their beloved son and brother.”

Behn is known for being a successful Norwegian author. He wrote three novels, “Backyard” in 2003, “Enthusiasm and Rage” in 2006 and “Vivian Seving, etc” in 2009. He also wrote two collections of short stories, one non-fiction book about his wedding with Princess Martha Louise and three plays as well.

According to E!, Behn is also known after he accused Kevin Spacey of groping in 2017. The incident allegedly happened over a decade prior, at a concert for the Nobel Peace Prize.

“We had a great talk, [Spacey] sat right beside me,” Behn told BBC at the time. “After five minutes [Spacey] said ‘hey, let’s go out and have a cigarette.’ Then he puts his hand under the table and grabs me by the balls.”

“My hair was dark at the time, I was 10 years younger and right up his alley,” Behn added during the interview.

Ari Behn
Ari Behn has died. He is pictured with his ex-wife, Princess Maertha Louise of Norway as they attend the royal wedding of Prince Carl Philip of Sweden and Sofia Hellqvist at The Royal Palace on June 13, 2015 in Stockholm, Sweden Ian Gavan/Getty Images