Sawyer Sweeten's sister has paid tribute to her "strong and selfless" brother.

Sawyer Sweeten with siblings Madilyn and Sullivan

Sawyer Sweeten with siblings Madilyn and Sullivan

The family of the late 'Everybody Loves Raymond' star have broken their silence for the first time since the actor tragically took his own life on Thursday (23.04.15) and Madilyn, 23, says her brother will "live on" in their memory.

She said: "Sawyer was more than just a brother. He was a strong and selfless friend.

"When confiding in one another, Sawyer always had the kindest words of encouragement. He will live on in my head and those shared moments forever."

Whilst sister Maysa, 16, added to PEOPLE magazine: "Although my memories of my brother hurt now, they are some of the best I've ever had and deserve to live on in my mind and in the minds of my family forever.

"There isn't a single day I won't miss him. Until we meet again, big bro, I love you!"

Meanwhile, the star's manager Dino May previously insisted Sawyer showed "no signs" of depression in the weeks before his death.

He said: "Everybody was shocked. [There was] no depression, no nothing. He was a good kid. Teenage stuff, but no depression, no signs or anything.

"Good kid, no drugs, no nothing, no drama, good parents. Everybody got along. [He was] just a great, very quiet, very shy kid."