Former 'Project Runway' Star Found Dead in NYC Apartment

HARLEM, NY — A hairstylist who appeared on 53 episodes of "Project Runway" was found dead in his Manhattan home Tuesday morning. George Ortiz, 45, was discovered by his roommates face-up on his bed, unconscious and unresponsive, an NYPD spokesman told Patch.

Ortiz was pronounced dead on the scene, and his death is being investigated as a suicide, police said.

A listing on IMDB said Ortiz appeared on 53 episodes of "Project Runway" from 2006 to 2010. Ortiz was listed as key models support on 28 episodes, key hairstylist on 15 episodes and hair team on 10 episodes.

People who knew Ortiz took to social media to express their grief:

Photo: Google maps street view Sept. 2014