New York ? A body found in the East River was identified Monday as that of Spalding Gray, the actor-writer who disappeared two months ago and is believed to have committed suicide.

Dental records confirmed that the body spotted Sunday floating near a pier off Brooklyn belonged to Gray, who had been missing since Jan. 10, according to police and an official from the medical examiner’s office.

Sara Vass, a family friend, said the news brought relief and further grief to Gray’s wife, Kathleen Russo, and their two sons, Forrest, 11, and Theo, 6.

“On one hand, to have some finality, to know what happened is important to the family,” Vass said. “On the other hand, it’s just a shattering finality, because there was always hope.”

Gray, 62, went to see the movie “Big Fish” with his sons Jan. 10. He returned to his Manhattan home before telling his wife he was meeting a friend for a drink. He left about 6:30 p.m., leaving behind his anti-depression medicine and his wallet.

About 9 p.m., his wife said he called and told Theo, “I’ll be home soon, and I love you,” according to a published report. It was the last time anyone heard from Gray.

The next morning, Gray missed a flight for a ski trip to Aspen, Colo. When Russo didn’t hear from him, she called the friend with whom Gray said he was going to have a drink and found no plans had been made to meet. She then reported her husband missing.

As the days passed without contact from Gray, suicide was suspected.

Best known for monologue performances such as “Gray’s Anatomy” and “Swimming to Cambodia,” Gray, who was diagnosed as manic-depressive, spoke openly and often of his fascination with suicide.

Vass traced Gray’s downturn to the severe injuries he suffered in the summer of 2001 after a veterinarian’s van struck a car in which he was a passenger in County Westmeath, Ireland.

Gray suffered a fractured skull, a broken hip and a nearly severed sciatic nerve. The crash left him with a condition known as “dropped foot,” in which he wasn’t able to lift the toes of his right leg clear of the ground when he walked. It also left him severely depressed, Vass said.

At least two suicide attempts followed.

Because Gray had talked of committing suicide by jumping off the Staten Island Ferry, the family believes that’s the way he chose to end his life, Vass said.