'Funny Story' author Ned Vizzini dies at 32

Lindsay Deutsch | USA TODAY Network

Young adult author and film and TV writer Ned Vizzini died at 32 in New York on Dec. 19, USA TODAY has confirmed with the New York medical examiner. His death was ruled a suicide.

Vizzini began his career when he was 15 with a series of articles about being a teenager. As he continued his career, his clever, deadpan style became a voice for teens.

In 2006, he wrote It's Kind of a Funny Story, a semi-autobiographical novel about a depressed teen who commits himself to a mental institution. It was adapted into a 2010 film starring Zach Galifianakis, Keir Gilchrist and Emma Roberts.

His other books include Be More Chill (2004), The Other Normals (2012) and Teen Angst? Naaah: A Quasi-Autobiography, an essay collection published in 1998 when he was 19.

Vizzini was also the co-writer of the House of Secrets series with director Chris Columbus (Harry Potter). Columbus talked to USA TODAY in April about selecting Vizzini to co-write the fantasy middle-grade project with him:

"I'd never written a novel, and I needed to co-write it with an established author. I read a few samples, and I was really taken with the work of Ned Vizzini. I loved his books, loved his dialogue, and I loved the way he could write teenagers," Columbus said.

The duo met in Los Angeles and began collaborating. The second book in the series, House of Secrets: Battle of the Beast, is due March 25.

Vizzini also wrote for TV shows such as MTV's Teen Wolf, ABC's The Last Resort and the forthcoming NBC show Believe.

He is survived by his wife and their son.