It’s a tragedy when anyone dies, and it’s all the more upsetting when it was avoidable. Often, celebrities have access to permissive doctors and too many prescription (and non-prescription) drugs, making it too easy for them land in complicated medical scenarios. These ten celebs passed away as a result of completely avoidable medical malpractice.
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley’s passing in 1977 is among the most well-known stories in the history of rock and roll. Presley’s girlfriend Ginger Allen found him unresponsive on the bathroom floor at his home, Graceland. The official cause of death was listed as a heart attack, but Elvis’s doctor admitted to overprescribing him opiates as a way to “keep him from seeking out illegal drugs.”
Anna Nicole Smith
Anna Nicole Smith passed away due to “combined drug intoxication” in 2007. She reportedly had Valium, Ativan, Serax, and diazepam in her system when she died. Many of the drugs found in her body were things she wasn’t prescribed, though her friend and psychiatrist Doctor Khristina Elaine Eroshevich had written other people in Smith’s circle prescriptions for all of those drugs. Eroshevich was fined $100 and given probation for a year due to her involvement in the situation.
Michael Jackson
Jackson, one of the best-selling recording artists to ever live, passed away in 2009 from a heart attack brought on by an overdose of propofol and benzodiazepine. They had been prescribed by his doctor, Conrad Murray. Murray was actually convicted of homicide and sentenced to four years in prison, though he only served about half of that time.
Prince
In 2016, beloved singer Prince passed away from an accidental fentanyl overdose—a fate all too common among celebrities. The toxicology report after his passing indicated that he had an absurdly high dose of fentanyl in his body, an amount that would be fatal to anyone. While no charges have been filed against any of his doctors, speculation remains that someone had to procure the fentanyl for him.
Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers passed away in 2014 after a routine surgery on her throat. Investigators stated at the time that he doctors at the outpatient clinic she was at “made numerous mistakes,” and found they didn’t respond to her plummeting blood pressure and other vital signs in time. She passed away of a heart attack a week after the procedure after being placed in a medically induced coma.
Bernie Mac
Bernie Mac passed away from complications stemming from pneumonia in 2008. Mac’s wife noted at the time that he was at his dermatologist’s office before he passed away, as he had been diagnosed with sarcoidosis three years before his death. Mac’s widow stated that the dermatologists failed to recognize signs of respiratory distress in the comedian, and that he was at their office for too long before being rushed to the hospital.
Phil Hartman
This one might sound odd, as many people are already aware that Phil Hartman was murdered by his wife Brynn shortly before she took her own life. Investigators initially chalked this up to a marital spat, but further investigation suggests Bryn might have become mentally unstable due to her use of Zoloft, which led to lawsuit against Pfizer from Bryn’s surviving brother.
Bill Paxton
Bill Paxton died of a stroke in 2017 roughly two weeks after undergoing open-heart surgery. Paxton’s family insisted that his surgeon tried a “high risk and unconventional surgical approach with which he lacked experience.” Subsequently, they sued the hospital for malpractice, claiming that the surgeon and hospital were responsible for the actor’s untimely death.
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Heath Ledger
Heath Ledger’s tragic death in 2008 shocked his fans around the world, especially as it came just months before the release of The Dark Knight. Ledger’s accidental overdose was ruled as being caused by prescription drug abuse, namely mixing benzodiazepines and opioids. While two doctors were exonerated in the case, as they hadn’t prescribed those medications to Ledger, it’s still unknown where he got the drugs from.
Read More: Rumors of Their Deaths Were Exaggerated: Celebrities Who Had to Correct Their Own Death Reports
Matthew Perry
Matthew Perry, the well-known star of the long-running sitcom Friends, passed away in 2023 after overdosing on a combination of drugs and drowning in his hot tub. Five people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in acquiring the drugs for Perry, particularly ketamine.
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