In the 1960s George Best burst on to the pitch and kicked off a glamorous new era of football. Autopsy: George Best
When George stops drinking ... a very real risk of tremors, convulsions, delusions and even sudden death. ibid.
His blood isn’t clotting properly ... All he could do is wait for a suitable liver to be donated. ibid.
Multi organ failure is on his death certificate. ibid.
It’s unusual for a single drug to be the cause of death, Autopsy: Phillip Seymour Hoffman
He’s found dead with a needle in his arm. ibid.
Could it be the quality of the drug he was taking? ibid.
Friday January 31st 2015 Atlanta Georgia: ‘This is 7 rescue 4: possible cardiac arrest. 21-year-old female in the bath tub face down.’ Autopsy: Bobbi Kristina Brown
‘In a scene eerily similar to the way her mother died three years ago.’ ibid. television news
‘A group of four scars on her forearm that I think are significant … What they do signify is a deeper psychological problem.’ ibid.
She had been using cocaine … and two prescription sedatives … the same one that had almost killed her father – heroin. ibid.
Amy Winehouse and her music won the hearts of millions. Autopsy: The Last Hours of Amy Winehouse
July 23rd 2011 Amy Winehouse is found dead in the bedroom of her home in Camden, North London. At the inquest the coroner concluded she had died of alcohol poisoning. ibid.
She began writing songs aged 14 … By 2006 her sound had matured. ibid.
A spiral into an abyss of addiction. ibid.
Amy is taking a prescription drug called Librium … At the time of her death Amy Winehouse had a blood alcohol level of 416mg: that’s more than five times the drink-drive limit. ibid.
Amy Winehouse had been battling bulimia. ibid.
‘Every day she did some kind of self harm.’ ibid. friend
Amy had previously used marijuana, heroin and crack cocaine … Had Amy staring using any or all of these drugs again? ibid.
When alcohol and cocaine are consumed together they can produce a third toxic chemical called Cocaethylene. ibid.
There’s no suggestion illegal drugs played a part in her death. ibid.
Librium can produce adverse side effects. ibid.
Respiratory arrest, became unconscious and never work up. But why did she suddenly relapse … borderline personality disorder. ibid.
Keith Ledger was Hollywood’s rising star … At 3:36 pm on 22nd January 2008 Ledger was pronounced dead in the bedroom of his New York apartment. He was just 28 years old. Autopsy: Heath Ledger
Keith Ledger battled drug use, personal life in crisis and the psychological trauma of playing The Joker. ibid.
He’d been fighting off a nasty cold … He’s tired. He’s exhausted. ibid.
There were no illegal drugs in his system. ibid.
The presence of prescription drugs in his system at the time of his death … Diazepam … Doxylamine … Temazepam … Alprazolam … Zoloft … Hydrocodone & Oxycodone. ibid.
‘Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night.’ ibid. Heath to journalist
The medical examiner concluded that Heath died as a result of the abuse of six prescription drugs. ibid.
‘We have a death. We need to confirm identification and we need to perform an autopsy.’ Autopsy: Kurt Cobain, rozzer in situ
The world was stunned when Kurt Cobain, the twenty-seven-year-old musician and self-styled prince of grunge was found dead. But with success came pressures Kurt found hard to handle. ibid.
8th April 1994: Kurt Cobain is found at his house in Seattle with a gunshot wound to his head. ibid.
Kurt was a frequent heroin user and said he took it to treat his abdominal pain. ibid.
ADHD and prescribed the drug Ritalin … For a decade his ADHD went untreated and his addiction to heroin reached dangerous levels. ibid.
Many have refused to accept it was suicide. ibid.
Kurt Cobain did indeed kill himself. ibid.
Patrick Swayze was a legendary actor, dancer and singer … died almost unrecognisable at home in California on 14th September 2009. But behind the scenes Patrick wasn’t always the golden boy he was thought to be. And years after his death the press reported wild rumours. Autopsy: Last Hours of Patrick Swayze
He’s also been married to Lisa for over 30 years. But at a New Years’ Eve Party with friends Patrick suddenly feels unwell. He finds the champagne is burning his insides. Patrick has also been suffering from constipation and stomach cramps for the last few days. ibid.
Jaundice is a sign of a malfunctioning liver … He does have a history of alcohol abuse … Patrick Swayze is diagnosed with adenocarcinoma – a type of pancreatic cancer. ibid.
He was a chronic smoker of 60 cigarettes a day. ibid.
But his cancer was spreading and he was becoming increasingly susceptible to infection. ibid.
‘The shocking death of popular Canadian actor Cory Monteith …’ Autopsy: The Last Hours of Cory Monteith, news
Cory Monteith was a global superstar … Blessed with a talent for acting and genuine Mr Nice Guy charm … An autopsy is carried out: when the results are inconclusive there’s wild speculation of a wild double life. ibid.
Cory Monteith did have an issue with alcohol abuse. ibid.
‘Mr Monteith had a history of illicit drug use.’ ibid. medical report
Cory was fighting a deadly battle with his inner demons. ibid.
There was evidence that Cory was still using heroin. ibid.
Judy Garland was one of the world’s most recognised talents … She was known for her tremendous talent but also for her turbulent lifestyle and stormy love life. But on morning of June 22 1969 Judy Garland was found dead in her London home aged just 47. Autopsy: Judy Garland
The coroner’s report states that Judy Garland died of an overdose of prescription medication. ibid.
She is struggling under the pressure of mounting debts. ibid.
‘Between 25 and 30 suicide attempts over the years.’ ibid. Randy L Schmidt, author ‘Judy Garland on Judy Garland’
Judy’s random pill-taking was exposing her to serious risk. ibid.
She’s underweight and potentially malnourished. ibid.
Maurice Gibb was one-third of global megaband the Bee Gees … On Wednesday January 8th 2003 Maurice Gibb collapsed in agony at his Miami home: he died four days later aged just 53. Autopsy: The Last Days of Maurice Gibb
Maurice Gibb was a heavy smoker. ibid.
A drug which Maurice is known to have enjoyed: alcohol. ibid.
When Maurice dies his liver appears normal. ibid.
Maurice went into multi-system organ failure. ibid.
‘Steve McQueen died today, 50 years old.’ Autopsy: The Last Hours of Steve McQueen, television news
Steve McQueen was a legendary actor. His remarkable performances won him millions of fans and millions of dollars. By the mid 1970s the king of cool was the world’s highest paid movie star … Died almost unrecognisable in a hospital bed in Mexico on 7th November 1980. ibid.
‘Despite reports of Steve looking unwell during the filming of The Hunter his medical records for the year before he died suggest he was in fairly good shape.’ ibid. pathologist
From a rough childhood to deafness Steve didn’t let anything stand in his way. ibid.
‘He had been suffering from a persistent cough that was getting progressively worse.’ ibid.
‘Steve’s cancer was a direct result of his exposure to asbestos.’ ibid.
Jimi Hendrix, electric guitar virtuoso, was one of the highest paid musicians in the world … After his death on 18th September 1970 when he was just 27 years old the coroner concluded that he died after he breathed in his own vomit, but stating insufficient evidence of the circumstances he recorded an open verdict. Autopsy s6e1: Last Days of Jimi Hendrix, Channel 5 2018
He’s been complaining of a cough he can’t shake off … exhausted and feverish. ibid.
Jimi had been drinking alcohol prior to his death … A quantity of amphetamine identified in his urine … Quinalbarbitone identified in the blood … a very high level … he lapses into a coma and dies. ibid.