What Really Killed These Celebrities

When a celebrity dies unexpectedly, especially if they're young, everyone's first thought usually goes right to drugs. And while this is sadly correct quite often, like in the case of River Phoenix, Heath Ledger, and Chris Farley, other cases are not so cut and dry.

That never stops "sources," "insiders," and "leaks" from sparking all kinds of tabloid speculation. But it's not until the coroner's report that we get a medical professional's scientific opinion on what caused the death. Does that always answer every question surrounding the demise of a star? Certainly not, but it at least gives us an idea of the time and circumstances that brought the physical end. Here is what really killed these celebrities.

Even though Whitney Houston was far from the pinnacle of her career when she died, nobody was expecting her pass so young, at just 48 years old. She was found in her room at the Beverly Hilton "face down in the bathtub filled with water, unresponsive," according to the LA County Coroner's report (via ABC News).

Of the many details of her salacious demise, the one that probably sparked the most rumors was the line from the initial report of the death scene that noted "the decedent possibly overdosed on a narcotic substance, prescription medications, over the counter medications, and alcohol." On the surface, it sounds like she was on a bender, passed out, and drowned in the tub, right? Well, sort of.

Although the toxicology report showed a seemingly damning mixture of "cocaine, benzoylecgonine, cocaethylene, marijuana, alprazolam (Xanax), cyclobenzaprine, (Flexeril), and diphenhydramine (Benadryl)" in her blood which would lead any normal person to think, "Yup, overdose," her cause of death is still listed as "(A) Drowning and (B) Effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use." The coroner further clarified that "No foul play is suspected. The mode of death is accident."

On top of that, forensic toxicologist Bruce Goldberger, told ABC News that upon his examination of the toxicology, Houston was only "'acutely intoxicated from cocaine' at the time of her death and was a 'repeated cocaine user.'" So, yes, Houston's heart was diseased from years of drug use, and she was slightly under the influence when she died, but it certainly wasn't the drug-fueled binge the tabloids wanted it to be.

Corey Haim was extremely open about his drug addiction. He spoke candidly about it on his many reality TV appearances, and described himself as "A chronic relapser for the rest of my life," during a 2007 Larry King Live interview. So when he died in 2010, nobody was thinking anything but "overdose."

Haim's family was quick to blame The Lost Boys actor's death on poor treatment by an addiction specialist. And the LAPD told People they suspected "a possible accidental overdose." But perhaps the most premature reaction of them all came from California Attorney General, Jerry Brown, who used Haim's death as the precursor for a statewide crackdown on what he categorized as "the problem of addicts 'doctor shopping' for dangerous drugs," according to CNN. There's just one flaw with all of that. Corey Haim died from pneumonia.

When Haim's autopsy report was released around two months after his death, it stated that he "died of respiratory distress related to pneumonia with the presence of an enlarged heart and narrowing blood vessels." There were "low levels" of prescription meds and a "tiny amount of marijuana" also found in his blood, but according to Deputy Medical Examiner Juan M. Carrillo (via The LA Times), "The medications did not contribute acutely to his death, therefore the manner of death is natural." So, did the California Attorney General's office then change the focus of its task force to target water on the lungs, or does that not make for a splashy enough headline?

When Sylvester Stallone's son, Sage, died unexpectedly at just 36 years old, once again the tabloid rumor machine lurched into motion with outlets like The New York Post running the dubious headline: "Sylvester Stallone's son found dead; cause of death believed to be pill overdose," and TMZ going with the more bold faced lie "Sylvester's Son Dies Of Overdose.'

This was all in the face of Sage's attorney, George Braunstein, giving statements like "Sage Stallone was not known for going out to clubs and partying. His vices were candy bars and soda," according to CNN. Also, the LAPD gave no indication that drugs or foul play were involved at all despite outlets repeatedly citing "sources" who said multiple empty pill bottles were found at the scene. Sylvester Stallone even issued his own heartbreaking plea to stop all "speculation and questionable reporting" about Sage's death and supposed drug use. "Sage was our first child and the center of our universe and I am humbly begging for all to have my son's memory and soul left in peace," he asked.

The coroner's report finally showed that Sage's death was due to natural causes, "attributed to a condition that causes blockage of the arteries," according to Fox News. It was rare for a 36-year-old, and certainly more rare than the well-worn story of a young star overdosing and dying. But that conclusion took months to reach, while news outlets had headlines to sell, and you can be sure people are more likely to click on "Rambo's Son Dies Popping Pills" vs. "Something Sad Happened, We'll Know More In A Few Months."

People love to attribute the qualities of their favorite TV and movie characters to the real-life actors who portray them. And this was particularly the case with James Gandolfini, who everyone apparently just believed acted like Tony Soprano right up until the second he died.

The Mirror was quick to categorize his alleged last meal as "a fried food feast," while The New York Post used the phrase "guzzled at least eight alcoholic drinks" in their headline. Even if all of those unconfirmed details were true, one unhealthy meal does not cause a heart attack, which is what Gandolfini's autopsy listed as his cause of death.

But even after the autopsy report came out, the speculation about what actually caused Gandolfini's heart attack didn't stop. In a blog he wrote for The Huffington Post, titled "James Gandolfini Did Not Die of Natural Causes," Neal Barnard, M.D., who had not treated Gandolfini, took a hard stance against the how his death was ruled. "The idea that a heart attack is 'natural' for a man of only 51 is a dangerous fallacy that medicine has tried very hard to dispel. A heart attack is a disease state caused by specific circumstances, and it needs to — and can — be prevented," he wrote. He goes on to cite statistics about risk factors such as poor diet and lack of exercise which are all basically guesses at Gandolfini's lifestyle and medical history. Call us crazy, but it seems pretty unprofessional for a medical doctor to diagnose a patient he's never seen. After all, would anyone have tolerated it if the cops arrested Gandolfini because he looked like a hardass and sounded just like a mafioso? Not likely.

Despite the fact that she was 81, no one expected Joan Rivers to have any complications from the routine throat procedure she had scheduled for August 28, 2014 at Yorkville Endoscopy in New York City. But days later, she died after "suffering respiratory and cardiac arrest during surgery," according to The Hollywood Reporter. And while tragic, that doesn't sound wildly unreasonable since there is a risk of those complications for anyone, at any age, with any surgery. But that's not even close to the whole story.

After the NYC Medical Examiner's office issued their official findings in the investigation into Rivers' death, citing a long list of terminology that reads like a med school textbook, they clarified with, "The classification of a death as a therapeutic complication means that the death resulted from a predictable complication of medical therapy." The simple version of that is she died from lack of oxygen to her brain, and the even simpler version is somebody probably screwed up her procedure big time.

Needless to say, Rivers' daughter, Melissa, filed a wrongful death suit against Yorkville Endoscopy and the doctors that conducted her mother's allegedly botched procedure, including an allegation that one of them took pictures of Joan while she was unconscious on the operating table. A settlement was quickly reached for an undisclosed amount, and Melissa issued a statement that read, in part, "I will work towards ensuring higher safety standards in out-patient surgical clinics." There's no word on how that pledge is going, but TMZ reported the settlement as in the eight figure range, so at least Joan can rest easy, wherever she is, knowing she got the last laugh on that.