Megachurch pastor Rick Warren's son commits suicide

The youngest son of megachurch pastor Rick Warren committed suicide on Saturday after an extended struggle with depression and mental illness, CBS News.

Warren's California-based church, Saddleback Valley Community Church, said in a statement that 27-year-old Matthew Warren killed himself after experiencing "a momentary wave of despair at his home."

"Despite the best healthcare available, this was an illness that was never fully controlled and the emotional pain resulted in his decision to take his life," the church said in the statement.

In a separate letter to his parishoners, Rick Warren said his son had a "fun evening" on Friday with both himself and his wife Kay. The elder Warren also described his son as "an incredibly kind, gentle, and compassionate man."

"No words can express the anguished grief we feel right now," Warren said. "He had a brilliant intellect and a gift for sensing who was most in pain or most uncomfortable in a room. He’d then make a bee-line to that person to engage and encourage them."