'Bowman the Showman' Found Dead

Former US figure skating champion Christopher Bowman was found dead yesterday in a Los Angeles motel room, AP reports. Authorities suspect a drug overdose. Bowman, 40, won US figure skating titles in 1988 and 1992 and wowed the crowds at the 1988 and 1992 Winter Olympics. His flamboyant personality and exuberant performances won him the nickname "Bowman the Showman," but his life off the ice was troubled.

Bowman admitted he had a cocaine problem during his skating career and spent time at a rehab clinic. He also had run-ins with the law on gun charges in recent years. The former child actor moved to California from Detroit last year and had returned to acting. He won a role as an assistant coach in the upcoming Brian De Palma film Down and Distance. (More figure skating stories.)