<P> Following the departure of Audra McDonald, it was announced on March 20, 2011 that actor Benjamin Bratt will be added to the series as a regular cast member for the fifth season . The details of his character were released on August 7, as he is set to play Jake Reilly, an accomplished fertility specialist that is knowledgeable in cutting - edge technology and procedures . </P> <P> Later in the season, Cooper Freedman was revealed to have had an 8 year old son from a previous one - night stand . Son Mason is portrayed by child actor Griffin Gluck . While Gluck initially served as a guest star, he was promoted to series regular later on in the season . Gluck is notable for being the first child to be a series regular in Private Practice or in the original series Grey's Anatomy . </P> <P> Following the renewal of Private Practice, it was announced that Benjamin Bratt would be returning to the show as a series regular, and his character was reviewed to be named, Jake Reilly . It was also announced that Audra McDonald would not be returning as a series regular, but instead could possible return as a recurring cast member . All of the regular cast including, Kate Walsh, Tim Daly, Paul Adelstein, KaDee Strickland, Brian Benben, Caterina Scorsone, Taye Diggs, and Amy Brenneman all returned in their roles as series regulars . In September 2011, it was announced that My So Called Life actress, A.J. Langer, was cast as Erica Warner, was cast in a recurring role as a woman who shows up in Cooper's life proclaiming they have an eight - year - old son together . It was later announced that Griffin Gluck was cast as Mason Warner, the son that Cooper and Erica share together . Later in the season, Griffin was billed as a series regular, while A.J. stayed as a recurring character as her character died . In November 2011, it was announced that Stephen Amell had been cast as Scott Becker, a paramedic that was also a potential love interest for Violet, seeing as Violet and Pete decided to split up after Pete's heart attack . </P> <P> In November 2011, Wes Brown had a recurring role as Ryan Kerrigan, a drug addict and a potential love interest for Amelia, but his character eventually dies pursuing Amelia to go to rehab . In November 2011, it was announced that, Jessie star, Debby Ryan would be making a special guest appearance, as Hailey, a girl that Amelia meets while she is going through rehab for drug addiction . In January 2012, it was announced that Private Practice and Grey's Anatomy would be having another crossover, and Patrick Dempsey and Chyler Leigh would be making a special guest appearance in an episode in an effort to save Erica's life . In February 2012, it was announced that Anika Noni Rose had been cast in a recurring role as Corinne Bennett, who would play Sam's sister who drops in town for a visit . </P>

When does mason's mom die on private practice
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