Nada desperta nosso interesse como a morte de uma celebridade.
Eles entram em nossas casas (eletronicamente, pelo menos) toda semana ou mais, e você sente que os conhece. Mas quando chega a hora do grande Casting Call in the Sky, parece que não nos cansamos de ler todos os tablóides de supermercado (na fila, é claro que não pagaríamos por isso, pagaríamos?) Especial de TV de Hollywood para os detalhes de por que ou como nossos superstars favoritos nos deixaram tão cedo.
Muitas vezes, há um pouco de álcool ou drogas envolvidas. E embora isso não os traga de volta à vida, às vezes os relatórios toxicológicos das mortes de nossos ídolos podem servir como um conto de advertência.
- Chris Farley
- Sid Vicious (nome de nascimento: John Ritchie)
- Janis Joplin
- Ol'Dirty Bastard (nome de nascimento: Russell Tyrone Jones)
- River Phoenix (nome de nascimento: River Jude Bottom)
- Anna Nicole Smith (nome de nascimento: Vickie Lynn Marshall)
- Michael Jackson
- DJ AM (nome de nascimento: Adam Goldstein)
- Heath Ledger
- Chris Penn
1: Chris Farley
Data do Falecimento: 18 de dezembro de 1997
Idade na Morte : 33
Profissão: Ator/Comediante
Detalhes toxicológicos: Os testes mostraram altos níveis de morfina, cocaína e uma substância química relacionada à cocaína no sangue de Farley, e foram feitas anotações de que doenças cardíacas contribuíram "significativamente" para sua morte.
Quantidades "terapêuticas" da droga antidepressiva Prozac e um anti-histamínico também foram encontradas na corrente sanguínea de Farley, e vestígios da droga ativa na maconha apareceram em sua urina, mas nenhum contribuiu para sua morte, segundo relatórios.
Notas: Farley atuou no programa de televisão Saturday Night Live por vários anos e estrelou filmes como Tommy Boy e Beverly Hills Ninja. O abuso de drogas e álcool era uma parte constante da vida de Farley e acabou causando problemas em sua carreira. Farley morreu aos 33 anos como resultado de uma overdose acidental de speedball. O vício em drogas e álcool a longo prazo (e possivelmente sua obesidade) contribuiu para sua morte. Uma combinação semelhante, heroína e cocaína, matou o ídolo de Farley, o comediante John Belushi, em 1982.
2: Sid Vicious (nome de nascimento: John Ritchie)
Data do Falecimento: 2 de fevereiro de 1979
Idade da Morte: 21
Profissão: Cantora
Toxicology Details: The body was autopsied by Dr. Michael Baden, the New York City Chief Coroner, who determined that while Vicious was normally using only a 5 percent solution of heroin, the heroin in his system was 80 percent pure, ensuring an overdose. In addition, the autopsy showed that Vicious had drowned on his own fluids, common in persons who overdosed on heroin
Notas: Apenas alguns dias após sua libertação de Bellevue e pouco antes de ser julgado pelo assassinato de Nancy Spungen – a mãe de Sid Vicious injetou heroína nele e ele morreu na cama. Mais tarde, ela admitiu que conscientemente deu ao filho drogas suficientes para matar duas pessoas. Em uma bizarra confissão no leito de morte, Anne Ritchie justificou tirar a vida de seu filho dizendo: 'Não havia como Sid ter sido capaz de lidar com a vida atrás das grades.
3: Janis Joplin
Data do Falecimento: 4 de outubro de 1970
Idade da Morte: 27
Profissão: Cantor/Compositor
Toxicology Details: The official cause of death was an overdose of heroin, possibly combined with the effects of alcohol.
Notes: From the book "Hippie" by Barry Miles:
"Janis returned to room 105 at the Landmard Motel, where she and some of her musician's were staying, at about 1 a.m. Earlier that day her connection had delivered $50 worth of heroin to her. But her dealer himself was not an addict and whenever he received a new consignment, he usually had a "tester" check it for him to see how pure it was before stepping on it accordingly. But his tester was away. He sent it out anyway. The smack turned out to be between 50% and 80% pure - eight times stronger than people were used to. Eight people would die from using that batch over the weekend; Janis was one of them."
Janis had provided $1,500 dollars in her will for a funeral party, where The Grateful Dead performed for 200 of her friends.
4: Ol’Dirty Bastard (birth name : Russell Tyrone Jones)
Date of Death: November 13, 2004
Age at Death: 35
Profession: Singer/Songwriter
Toxicology Details: The official cause of death was a drug overdose as an autopsy found a lethal mixture of cocaine and prescription drug Tramadol, a synthetic opiate used to treat severe pain.
Notes: Before he was known more for his rap sheet than his rapping, Dirty was the most outrageous member of the Wu-Tang Clan, nine New York rappers who fashioned themselves as ghetto superheroes with magic rapping powers. As an MC, ODB was instantly recognizable with his garbled, manic and nonsensical style. His half-rapped, half-sung free-association growl was a key element in several of the Clan's most memorable tracks, as well as hits from Mariah Carey ("Fantasy") and Pras ("Ghetto Supastar").
The rapper, whose real name was Russell Tyrone Jones, was having difficulty breathing and complained of chest pains earlier in the day, according to his spokesperson.
5: River Phoenix (birth name : River Jude Bottom)
Date of Death: October 31, 1993
Age at Death: 23
Profession: Actor /Musician/ Animal Rights Activist
Toxicology Details: River's autopsy showed lethal levels of cocaine and morphine (heroin shows up as morphine, as the body metabolizes it), Valium, marijuana and ephedrine. Ephedrine is the main ingredient found in crystal meth. Official cause of death was Acute multiple drug ingestion.
Notes: The evening of October 30th 1993, he went to The Viper Room, a club owned by Johnny Depp. River had allegedly been in the bathroom doing drugs with some drug dealer friends when someone offered him a snort of high-grade Persian Brown. Immediately upon snorting the drug he began trembling and shaking. He then became agitated and sick before someone tried to help by giving him a Valium.
Staggering back out into the bar and over to actress Samantha Mathis and his sister Rain, he complained that he could not breathe and then briefly passed out. When he awakened, he asked Mathis to take him outside of the bar. Mathis first called River's assistant Abby, then Mathis and River's brother Joaquin took him outside. River collapsed on the sidewalk and started having seizures before a photographer, Ron Davis, went to call 911 at the nearby payphone, as did Joaquin. By now Rain had come out and thrown herself on River to attempt to stop the seizures. River then became still, at which point Joaquin said he was not breathing. It was 1:14 a.m. and River was in full cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived and began to administer CPR. With his skin turning a dark blue and his body still warm, they rushed him to Cedars Sinai Medical Center. The ER physicians did everything to revive him, including inserting a pacemaker, but was pronounced dead at 1:51 am on October 31.
6: Anna Nicole Smith (birth name: Vickie Lynn Marshall)
Date of Death: February 9, 2007
Age at Death: 39
Profession: Model/Reality TV Star
Toxicology Details: Overdose due to the following combination of drugs. Toxic, lethal drug: Chloral Hydrate
Therapeutic drugs: Diphenhydramine (antihistamine), Clonazepam (anti-seizure drug, also used for panic attacks), Diazepam (Valium, used to treat anxiety), Nordiazepam (metabolite), Temazepam (metabolite), Oxazepam (used to treat anxiety), Lorazepam (used to treat anxiety)
Outros medicamentos: Atropina (um medicamento usado em ressuscitação), Topiramato (usado para tratar convulsões, enxaquecas e às vezes usado como medicamento para controle de peso), Ciprofloxacina (Cipro, um antibiótico) e Acetaminofeno.
Fonte: legista do condado de Broward
Notas: A investigação do médico legista também descobriu que as "causas que contribuíram" para a morte de Smith foram uma gripe viral e um abscesso que se desenvolveu em sua nádega como resultado de injeções.
7: Michael Jackson
Data do Falecimento: 25 de junho de 2009
Idade da Morte: 50
Profissão: Cantor/Compositor
Detalhes toxicológicos: No momento de sua morte, a análise toxicológica mostrou que Michael Jackson tinha níveis letais de propofol em seu sangue.
Notas: O cardiologista de Houston Conrad Murray disse que estava injetando Jackson todas as noites com 50 mg de propofol, diluído com lidocaína. Mas ele ficou preocupado que pudesse estar se viciando na droga e tentou afastá-lo, usando combinações de outras drogas. Ele disse que eles trabalharam para ajudar Jackson a dormir duas noites antes de morrer.
A polícia relatou ter visto cerca de oito frascos de propofol na mansão alugada de Jackson, juntamente com outros frascos e pílulas que haviam sido prescritos ao cantor pop por Murray e outros médicos. As drogas apreendidas na busca incluíam Valium, tamsulosina, lorazepam, temazepam, clonazepam, trazodona e tizanidina.
8: DJ AM (birth name: Adam Goldstein)
Date of Death: August 28, 2009
Age at Death: 36
Profession: DJ, Musician and MTV Show Host
Toxicology Details: Reports showed the 36-year-old had in his system at the time of death: cocaine, OxyContin, Hydrocodone or Vicodin, antianxiety drugs Xanax and Ativan, Klonopin (which also controls anger), Benadryl, and Levamisole (a drug used to cut cocaine).
Notes: DJ AM was known for his mashups — blends of at least two songs. He performed in clubs, on concert stages and at exclusive Hollywood parties. He was famous in part for his personal life — he dated actress-singer Mandy Moore and reality TV star Nicole Richie. In October, MTV was to debut his reality show, "Gone Too Far," in which he and concerned families staged interventions for drug abusers.
9: Heath Ledger
Date of Death: January 22, 2008
Age at Death: 28
Profession: Actor
Toxicology Details: Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine.
Notes: A massage therapist who discovered a lifeless Heath Ledger in his Manhattan apartment made her first two calls to actress Mary-Kate Olsen (the residence owner) moments after finding the Australian-born actor. Only after those calls was 911 alerted to the situation.
10: Chris Penn
Date of Death: January 24, 2006
Age at Death: 40
Profession: Actor
Toxicology Details: An autopsy performed by a Los Angeles County Medical Examiner revealed the primary cause of death was "nonspecific cardiomyopathy" (heart disease), with the prescription drug promethazine with codeine and an enlarged heart being possible contributing circumstances.
Notes: Chris Penn was an film and television actor known best for his roles in such films as Reservoir Dogs, Footloose and True Romance. Brother Sean Penn has said publicly in a TV interview that his brother died because of his weight.
