Jim Carrey pays tribute to ex-girlfriend

The on-again, off-again girlfriend of US actor Jim Carrey has died at her California home of an apparent suicide, police said. Picture: AFP/Getty

HOLLYWOOD actor Jim Carrey has paid tribute to his ex-girlfriend Cathriona White, saying learning of her death was like being “hit with a lightning bolt.”

The 30-year-old, born in Ireland, was found dead in her home on Monday, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.

In Carrey’s statement, he said Ms White was a “kind and delicate Irish flower, too sensitive for this soil”.

He added: “My heart goes out to her family and friends and to everyone who loved and cared about her. We have all been hit with a lightning bolt.”

Carrey, 53, dated make-up artist White briefly in 2012 and the pair were photographed together earlier this year.

The last two photos posted on Carrey’s Twitter account were credited to White. She last posted on the social networking website on Thursday, saying: “Signing off Twitter, I hope I have been a light to my nearest and dearest.”

Her death is being investigated as a possible suicide, with an examination scheduled for Wednesday.