Comedian Richard Jeni shot himself to death

Coroner: Comic Jeni Was Mentally Ill

Comedian Richard Jeni, who shot himself to death in March, had a history of mental illness and was hospitalized late last year for suicidal depression, according to a coroner's report obtained Thursday.

Jeni, 49, died at a hospital after shooting himself in the head at his Hollywood home on March 10, authorities have said.

His girlfriend heard him talking to himself about a week earlier, saying "'just squeeze the trigger,'" according to a police report cited by the Los Angeles County coroner's office.

She was making breakfast downstairs when Jeni shot himself in the mouth with a .38-caliber Colt Detective Special handgun, according to the report.

Jeni, whose birth name was Richard John Colangelo, had not made any previous suicide attempts and left no note, the report said.