Carrie Fisher had cocaine, methadone, heroin, and ecstasy in her system when she died on December 27 , Variety reported.
The coroner’s report listed sleep apnea as the leading cause of death, but drug intake was a contributing factor in her sudden passing. The coroner disclosed that Fisher’s family did not want a full autopsy, so the medical examiner was not able to do a full toxicology workup. So, they had to base her cause of death on the limited toxicology specimen samples they had plus the condition of Carrie’s body.
Fisher died on December 27, four days after going into cardiac arrest on the airplane. Carrie’s assistant was with her on the plane and reported that she was awake and seemed “normal” at the beginning of the long flight from London, England to Los Angeles. At the end of the flight, the assistant stated that she couldn’t wake Fisher up and that’s when she asked for help.
“At this time the significance of cocaine cannot be established in this case.”
According to E Online , Carrie may have taken cocaine within three days before her flight. The coroner’s report also suggested that the Star Wars actress likely had exposure to heroin the day of her flight and could have suppressed her breathing as she went into cardiac arrest.
Carrie Fisher’s full autopsy revealed cocaine, morphine, codeine and oxycodone in her system https://t.co/G4o11Bpfu0 pic.twitter.com/1pe0GCsGZd
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) June 19, 2017
Carrie had a long history of mental illness and drug abuse. At the time of her death, she was taking oxycodone without a prescription. In addition to the illegal drugs found in her system, Fisher had Prozac, Abilify, and Lamictal — all of which her doctor prescribed for her.
“Ms. Fisher suffered what appeared to be a cardiac arrest on the airplane accompanied by vomiting and with a history of sleep apnea. 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.”
It wasn’t news to Fisher’s family that she had illegal drugs in her system at the time of her death. She admitted to smoking marijuana at 13, LSD by 21, and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 24. As part of her treatment for mental illness, she received electroshock therapy and medication , AP News reported.
“I know my Mom, she’d want her death to encourage people to be open about their struggles.” https://t.co/A3MZadvYgr
— MTV (@MTV) June 19, 2017
Todd Fisher, Carrie’s brother, believes that Fisher’s heart condition may have worsened by her smoking habit. He added that the medications she took had a risk of damaging her heart. He believes that all of the illegal drugs, prescriptions, and smoking contributed to her sudden death.
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