Rosie O'Donnell's ex-wife Michelle Rounds dies of apparent suicide

Michelle Rounds, the ex-wife of Rosie O'Donnell who battled her for custody of their young daughter, died Monday at her Florida home of an apparent suicide. She was 46. 

"I am saddened to hear about this terrible tragedy," O'Donnell said in a statement emailed to USA TODAY. "Mental illness is a very serious issue affecting many families. My thoughts and prayers go out to Michelle’s family, her wife Krista, and their child."

The news was first reported by TMZ but it was confirmed by O'Donnell's statement and by the obituary posted on the website of the Carpenters funeral home in Corning, N.Y., where Rounds was born.

It said that Michelle Rounds-Monteleone of Windemere, Fla., "died unexpectedly at her home" on Sept. 11.

Her survivors include her wife, Krista Monteleone of Windermere, her parents: Roger and Gayla Rounds of Addison, N.Y., and two daughters, including Dakota, 4, her daughter with O'Donnell.

O'Donnell and Rounds married in June of 2012 at their former home in Nyack, N.Y. Rounds had been a recruiter in New York for a leading company in IT staffing.

The comedian filed for divorce from Rounds in February 2015, citing an irretrievably broken relationship. In April, Rounds filed for sole custody of Dakota, the baby they adopted together.

In September, Rounds was hospitalized after an overdose. By October they had reached a custody settlement.

Memorial donations can be made to the Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation in Suffern, N.Y., the funeral home said. Rounds' mother also told TMZ that donations to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline would be appreciated.

"There are so many out there in this world that have demons that they think suicide is the only way out," she said.