Iranian Prince Reportedly Found Dead in South End Home

A man who apparently committed suicide in a South End home early Tuesday morning has been identified as an Iranian Prince by Boston Police and the individual's website.

Prince Ali Reza Pahlavi, the second son of the late Shah and Shahbanou Farah, was found dead in his West Newton Street apartment around 2:20 a.m. Police transmissions indicated Pahlavi died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Pahlavi's family expressed grief over the 44-year-old's death in a posting on Pahlavi's website this morning.

"It is with immense grief that we would like to inform our compatriots of the passing away of Prince Alireza Pahlavi," the statement read. "Like millions of young Iranians, he too was deeply disturbed by all the ills fallen upon his beloved homeland, as well as carrying the burden of losing a father and a sister in his young life."

"Although he struggled for years to overcome his sorrow, he finally succumbed, and during the night of the 4th of January 2011, in his Boston residence, took his own life, plunging his family and friends into great sorrow."