If the 1980s were all about greed and excess, then the 1990s were all about wholesome family fun, at least when it came to television. Family Matters about the life of the middle-class Winslow family was one of the hottest sitcoms around, due in part to star Jaleel White, who portrayed lovable nerd Steve Urkel. Yet behind the scenes, many of Whites peers struggled with fame, fortune, and the pressure that came with being a young Hollywood heartthrob. While perhaps no other death shocked fans in the early years of the decade more than River Phoenix, it was the death of Jonathan Brandis in 2003 that White said almost made him quit acting.

In his new book, Growing Up Urkel (via Entertainment Weekly), White recalled where he was when he first learned that Brandis had died by suicide. Though the pair werent close friends, they had just shot the pilot episode...