Nick Cannon reaches out to Amanda Bynes in heartfelt Internet letter

Mariah Carey's husband Nick Cannon has reached out to troubled actress Amanda Bynes in a heartfelt open letter, urging his former TV co-star to call on him if she needs help.

Referring to the Hairspray star as his "sister", caring Cannon admits he's concerned about Bynes' welfare after she was arrested for starting a fire on a random resident's driveway in Thousand Oaks, California last month (Jul13) and placed on a psychiatric hold to allow lawmakers to assess her mental state.

As the actress' parents seek a conservatorship to take control of their daughter's financial and legal affairs, Cannon, who has supported his former All That co-star amid a storm of media surrounding her legal issues and year-long bizarre behavior, has hit the Internet in a bid to help his old friend.

A statement posted by the TV personality on Wednesday (31Jul13) reads: "We all end up alone in that dark hole at some point in our lives and if you don't have a foundation of friends and family to help bring you up and out it makes that journey long and detrimental. So I say to my sister Amanda Bynes you're not alone. I'm here for you. I understand. I care and I appreciate you, because that's what family does and that's what family is for."

He adds, "I am consistently questioned about my wife, my kids, and my health and I happily answer... But as of lately I have been hit with an onslaught of questions about someone I consider family, someone I watched grow up, and someone I genuinely feel is one of the most pleasant human beings I have had the pleasure of meeting, Amanda Bynes.

"The questions have ranged from, 'Have you spoken to Amanda?' to 'Are you working on her rap album?' Sometimes I would answer in a playful humorous manner and sometimes I would brush it off as another Pop culture topic that a reporter was trying to retrieve a sound bite for. But after recent events of Amanda being admitted under psychiatric care... I see this as no laughing matter."

And he concludes his long letter by writing, "I also extend this to anyone else in my life, past or present that may find themselves in hard times. I'm here! Call me! Because I truly believe, the hand you're helping up today may be the one you're reaching for tomorrow."