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Carrie Fisher had cocaine and heroin in system when she died, coroner finds Carrie Fisher had cocaine and heroin in system when she died, coroner finds
(about 2 hours later)
Carrie Fisher’s autopsy report shows the actor had cocaine, heroin and MDMA in her system when she fell ill on a plane last year, but investigators could not determine what impact the drugs had on her death. Carrie Fisher had cocaine, morphine and ecstasy in her system when she died, her autopsy has revealed, but investigators are still unclear whether drugs contributed towards her death.
The report released on Monday states Fisher may have taken cocaine three days before the 23 December transatlantic flight on which she became ill. She died four days later. It also found traces of heroin and MDMA, also known as ecstasy, but that they could not determine when Fisher had taken those drugs. The report, released Monday, suggested that Fisher, 60, may have taken cocaine three days before she became unwell onboard a plane on 23 December last year. Fisher’s mother Debbie Reynolds, to whom she was devoted, died just one day after her.
The findings were based on toxicology screenings done on samples taken when the Star Wars actress arrived at a Los Angeles hospital. Last week the coroner ruled that Fisher had died from sleep apnoea – a condition in which air cannot get into the lungs properly during sleep or when you are unconscious – as well as other undefined factors.
Coroner’s officials ruled that Fisher died from sleep apnea and a combination of other factors. A news release issued on Friday mentioned drugs were found in Fisher’s system, but it did not provide details. The initial report had mentioned that drugs had been found in her system but a more in-depth toxicology report on Monday established that there were traces of heroin, morphine and MDMA, a purified form of ecstasy. The samples were taken from Fisher when she arrived at a Los Angeles hospital.
Monday’s full report contained a detailed explanation of the results, such as why investigators believe Fisher took cocaine at least three days before her flight. Fisher, best known as Princess Leia in Star Wars, suffered a heart attack on the plane, followed by vomiting, and the report specified that she had a “history of sleep apnoea”.
“At this time the significance of cocaine cannot be established in this case,” the report stated. It also said that while heroin is detectable in the system for a briefer period of time, investigators could not determine when Fisher took it or the ecstasy. “Based on the available toxicological information, we cannot establish the significance of the multiple substances that were detected in Ms Fisher’s blood and tissue, with regard to the cause of death,” the report states.
“Ms Fisher suffered what appeared to be a cardiac arrest on the airplane accompanied by vomiting and with a history of sleep apnea,” the report said. “Based on the available toxicological information, we cannot establish the significance of the multiple substances that were detected in Ms Fisher’s blood and tissue, with regard to the cause of death.” Fisher’s battle with substances was well known, and she often said her life had been defined by addiction. She spoke publicly about starting to use cannabis from the age of 13, and said she took cocaine on set during filming of Star Wars film The Empire Strikes Back.
Among the factors that contributed to Fisher’s death was buildup of fatty tissue in the walls of her arteries, the coroner’s office said last week. “I didn’t even like coke that much, it was just a case of getting on whatever train I needed to take to get high,” she said in 2010.
A phone message left for Fisher’s brother was not immediately returned. Todd Fisher said on Friday he was not surprised that drugs may have contributed to his sister’s death. Fisher went through several stints of rehab and electroconvulsive therapy to help with her addiction and long battle with mental illness, and she took numerous medications to help with her bipolar disorder. However, she was always adamant that her unstable Hollywood upbringing – her father Eddie Fisher left her mother for Elizabeth Taylor when she was a child – was not to blame for her issues with drugs.
“I would tell you, from my perspective that there’s certainly no news that Carrie did drugs,” Todd Fisher said, noting that his sister wrote extensively about her drug use and that many of the drugs she took were prescribed by doctors to try to treat her mental health conditions. “It’s always been my responsibility,’ she said.“If it was Hollywood to blame, then we’d all be dope addicts.”
Fisher long battled addiction and mental illness. She said she smoked pot at 13, used LSD by 21 and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 24. She was treated with electroshock therapy and medication. The coroner found Fisher also had a buildup of fatty tissue in her arteries, a common cause of cardiac arrest.
“I am not shocked that part of her health was affected by drugs,” Todd Fisher said, adding that his sister’s heart condition was probably worsened by her smoking habit, as well as the medications she took. Fisher’s brother, Todd Fisher, said last week he was not surprised by the results. He added that his family did not want a coroner’s investigation of his sister’s death. “We’re not enlightened. There’s nothing about this that is enlightening,” he said. “I would tell you, from my perspective, that there’s certainly no news that Carrie did drugs.”
“If you want to know what killed her, it’s all of it,” he said.