Amy Winehouse and her music won the hearts of millions. Autopsy: The Last Hours Of s5e1: 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 started 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: The Last Hours Of … s5e2: 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.
It’s unusual for a single drug to be the cause of death, Autopsy: Last Hours Of … s5e4: Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Channel 5 2016
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: The Last Hours Of … s5e5: 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.
Actress Natalie Wood was Hollywood’s hottest actress for a generation. She went from child star to A-list celebrity. She married screen legend Robert Wagner not once, but twice. And the couple enjoyed a spectacular lifestyle. But on November 29th 1981 during what was supposed to be a relaxed weekend sailing trip 43-year-old Natalie was found dead. The verdict never completely satisfied the press. Autopsy: The Last Hours Of … s6e1: Natalie Wood, Channel 5 2016
‘She had Cyclizine in her system … her stomach had 0.14% alcohol in it … She has a prescription for Placidyl … Metahydrin … ’ ibid. pathologist
‘Natalie turned to sleeping pills to ease her anxiety.’ ibid.
‘She was in effect an anorexic.’ ibid. comment
Behind the scenes Natalie’s private life was crumbling. ibid.
‘Christopher Walken was the inflamatory element on the boat that night.’ ibid.
‘A dynamic that was deep and dark and very dangerous.’ ibid.
Her body was found at 7.30 the next morning dressed in a red down jacket. ibid.
‘That does not rule out suicide as a possible cause of death.’ ibid. pathologist
John Belushi was a comedy genius. The grossout characters he created in Animal House and The Blues Brothers were iconic. But on March 5th 1982 John Belushi was found dead. Autopsy: The Last Hours Of … s6e2: John Beliushi
‘His obesity is a stresser on his heart … John Belushi has lung disease … an enlarged heart … ’ ibid. pathologist
John was in grave danger of cardiac arrest. ibid.
He wakes up coughing blood … Belushi is battling a serious cocaine habit. ibid.
A 4-day drug binge that would result in Belushi’s death. ibid.
‘Puncture wounds in both arms … He had a morphine level of 2.1 mg %.’ ibid. pathologist
Jim Morrison, lead singer of the 1960s band The Doors was one of rock history’s most influencial and cult icons. His outrageous drink and drug-fueled behaviour on and off stage established his reputation as a troublemaker and rebel. But the official cause of his death in Paris on 3rd July 1971 remains controversial. Autopsy: The Last Hours Of … s6e4: Jim Morrison
‘There was no autopsy conducted; there was no toxicology conducted; and there was no evaluation of his medical background.’ ibid. pathologist
‘His smoking, his drinking, his eating of fatty foods, can put an enormous amount of strain on the heart.’ ibid.
The gurgling noise that awakens Pamela is the first sign of a heroin overdose. ibid.
In March 1991 Rodney King was savagely beaten by four white police officers. The incident was caught on camera and broadcast around the world. The four police officers were then found not guilty, triggering the infamous LA riots. Autopsy: The Last Hours Of … s6e7: Rodney King
June 17th 2012: King, now aged 47, was found by his fiancee face-down in the back-yard swimming pool. ibid.
Why was he falling down and getting these types of injuries? ibid.
‘He has an enlarged heart … It’s possible he had a heart attack on the poolside or simply blacked out and then fell into the water and drowned.’ ibid. pathologist
‘This is more commonly known as angel dust or PCP.’ ibid.
‘Unable to save himself, Rodney King stopped breathing and drowned.’ ibid.
Bill Hartman was a comedy legend. His satirical impressions on Saturday Night Live ruffled the feathers of America’s most powerful. On The Simpsons his voice gave life to 18 iconic characters. Among his peers he was the ultimate team player. But in 1998 the home of one of America’s favourite comic actors was stormed by armed police. Breakfast shows carried the sentational news that Phil Harman had been shot to death in his own bedroom. The horror escalates when police confirm that Phil’s wife Bryann was by his side, also shot dead. Autopsy: The Last Hours of … s6e9: Phil Hartman
‘Brynn did a lot of coke, a lot of Quaaludes.’ ibid. friend
The Hartmans’ relationship had a lot of issues. ibid.
‘Alcohol and cocaine in her system.’ ibid. pathologst
[news]: ‘Chris Farley’s brother found the 33-year-old comic dead on the floor.’ Autopsy: The Last Hours Of … s7e1: Chris Farley
Chris Farley was the larger than life comedy maverick who rose to fame on Saturday Night Live. ibid.
‘His wild behaviour does suggest a mental condition that may have led him down a self-destructive path.’ ibid. pathologist
2 a.m. Chris hits the bars for the fourth night in a row. He’s drunk and hyper, and eyewitnesses describe him as ‘on a roll’. ibid.
‘Prozac … alcohol … TCH … cocaine … GBH … crack cocaine … He had morphine in his blood …’ ibid. pathologist
Chris Farley’s heart weighted 533 grams, and that’s practically twice the normal size of a heart … He had severe coronary artery atherosclerosis, or coronary artery disease.’ ibid.
‘He was one of the worst addicts they’ve ever seen.’ ibid. comment
He’s been partying for three days without sleep. ibid.
‘Edema in the lungs reduces the body’s intake of air, and starves the brain of oxygen.’ ibid. pathologist