A coroner’s report in the death of Carrie Fisher found that “sleep apnea and other undetermined factors” caused her to pass away last year. The report from the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office was released on Friday added that atherosclerotic heart disease, which is fatty tissue in the walls of arteries, also contributed to Fisher’s death. However, the exact cause of her heart attack aboard a flight from London to Los Angeles days before her death remains unclear.
The autopsy, which was conducted three days after Fisher’s death on December 27th, revealed that the 60-year-old Star Wars actress had taken multiple drugs prior to her death. The report did not announce specifically which drugs were found in Fisher’s system and could not determine whether the drugs played a role in her death.
After the coroner’s reporter was released, Fisher’s brother Todd said, “I am not shocked that part of her health was affected by drugs.” He also said that his sister relied on numerous prescription medications for her mental health conditions.
Fisher’s only child, Billie Lourd, addressed the report and told PEOPLE, “My mom battled drug addiction and mental illness her entire life. She ultimately died of it. She was purposefully open in all of her work about the social stigmas surrounding these diseases.”
“She talked about the shame that torments people and their families confronted by these diseases,” Lourd said. “I know my mom, she’d want her death to encourage people to be open about their struggles. Seek help, fight for government funding for mental health programs. Shame and those social stigmas are the enemies of progress to solutions and ultimately a cure. Love you Momby.”
[People]