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Carrie Fisher had cocaine, heroin and ecstasy in system

Coroner's report: Carrie Fisher (above in 2013)  had cocaine, heroin and ecstasy in her system at the time of her death

Coroner's report: Carrie Fisher (above in 2013)  had cocaine, heroin and ecstasy in her system at the time of her death

Carrie Fisher had a number of drugs in her system at the time of her death.

Three days after it was revealed that the Star Wars actress passed away as a result of sleep apnea and 'a combination of other factors,' an autopsy shows that there was also cocaine, ecstasy and heroin in her system. 

She was also taking Abilify, Prozac and Lamictol, which were all prescribed, and oxycodone, which was not. 

A report from the medical examiner noted that it is unclear what role the drugs may have played in Fisher's death, and that they may have played no role whatsoever in the end.  

The cocaine may have been taken just one week before Fisher passed away on December 27, four days after suffering a medical emergency while on a flight from London to Los Angeles. 

The autopsy could not determine however how recently the heroin, ecstasy and various opiates found in Fisher's system were taken by the actress before her death.  

It was also revealed in the autopsy that Fisher suffered a heart attack on the flight after she began vomiting in her sleep and immediately became unresponsive, at which point a medical crew was notified and rushed to the airport to meet the plane. 

Her personal assistant was with her at the time and said that Fisher had been awake at the beginning of the flight, but attempts to wake the actress before the plane landed were no successful.

She then suddenly vomited 'profusely' and 'slumped over' in her seat.

Fisher was in cardiac arrest with CPR being performed when paramedics arrived in the scene, and there was absolutely no motor or verbal response from the actress, whose eyes remained fully closed.

She received the lowest possible Glasgow Coma Score, which indicated a state of deep unconsciousness.

Paramedics on the scene administered sodium bicarbonate to Fisher, likely to help with her acidosis, and gave her a shot of epinephrine.

Fisher died after going into cardiac arrest for a second time, four days after she was admitted to the hospital.

The report notes the incident happened at 7:21am and that efforts to revive her ended at 8:55am on December 27, at which point she was officially declared dead.

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Powerful message: 'My mom battled drug addiction and mental illness her entire life. She ultimately died of it,' said Fisher's daughter Billie Lourd in a statement over the weekend (Loud, Debbie Reynolds and Fisher above in January 2015)

Powerful message: 'My mom battled drug addiction and mental illness her entire life. She ultimately died of it,' said Fisher's daughter Billie Lourd in a statement over the weekend (Loud, Debbie Reynolds and Fisher above in January 2015)

Resist: The medical report also reveals that Fisher (above in Star Wars) began vomiting in her sleep while on a December 23 flight, and became unresponsive immediately after

Resist: The medical report also reveals that Fisher (above in Star Wars) began vomiting in her sleep while on a December 23 flight, and became unresponsive immediately after

Fisher had long been open about her struggles with drugs and mental illness, revealing she smoked pot at 13, used LSD by 21 and was often high on the sets of her early films she admitted in interviews.

She was treated with electroshock therapy and medication for her mental disorders, and was in and out of rehab over the years for her drug addiction.

Fisher admitted to using drugs throughout the 70s and 80s, and revealed that during the filming of 'Empire Strikes Back' she was frequently consuming cocaine.

She also told Diane Swayer in an interview back in 2000 that she began to unravel back in 1981 on the set of Under The Rainbow.

'I was completely crazy. ... I was on drugs, I started losing a lot of weight. ... I was not sleeping. I had a seizure on the set,' said Fisher. 

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Fisher got clean and sober in 1983, but then suffered a near-fatal overdose two years later while in New York City filming the Woody Allen comedy 'Hannah and Her Sisters.'

Fisher later stated that it was a combination of prescription medication and sleeping pills that led to her having her stomach pumped and sent her to rehab for the first time.

That first 30-day program was when Fisher was diagnosed as bipolar, and she turned the experience into the basis for her largely-autobiographical book 'Postcards from the Edge.'

That later became an Oscar-nominated motion picture directed by Mike Nichols and starring Meryl Streep as the actress in recovery and Shirley MacLaine as her famous mother. 

There was some concern shortly before her death that Fisher might have relapsed after some open beers were seen in the background of a photo Fisher posted of herself and her beloved dog Gary on Thanksgiving. 

Cause for concern: Fisher posted a photo of herself on Thanksgiving with her dog Gary that showed two open beers on a nearby table (above), leading some to believe she had relapsed

Cause for concern: Fisher posted a photo of herself on Thanksgiving with her dog Gary that showed two open beers on a nearby table (above), leading some to believe she had relapsed

Inspiration: Fisher turned her first stint in rehab into the book and later film 'Postcards from the Edge' (above with the film's stars Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine in 1990)

Inspiration: Fisher turned her first stint in rehab into the book and later film 'Postcards from the Edge' (above with the film's stars Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine in 1990)

Fisher's daughter Billie Lourd released a powerful and heartbreaking statement about her mother's lifelong battle with addiction over the weekend. 

The young actress wrote that she hoped her mother's death could change the way that addiction and mental illness are treated and viewed by many around the world. 

WHAT IS SLEEP APNEA

Sleep apnea is a potentially life-threatening disorder in which an individual's breathing is interrupted or stops all together for lengths of time while they are asleep. 

As a result, the brain and body can be deprived of oxygen for extended periods of time, which can lead to problems for those who suffer or further complicate pre-existing conditions. 

In most cases the airway is blocked by soft tissue in the throat, but in others the brain actually forgets to signal the respiratory muscles in the body to breathe. 

One of the causes of the disorder is nasal obstruction from a  deviated septum, which Fisher's Topsy revealed she suffered from, possible a result of her cocaine use over the years.

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'My mom battled drug addiction and mental illness her entire life. She ultimately died of it,' said Lourd.

'She talked about the shame that torments people and their families confronted by these diseases. 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.'

Lourd then closed out by writing:  'Love you Momby.'  

'I am not shocked that part of her health was affected by drugs,' Fisher's brother said last week after the release of his sister's autopsy.

Todd noted that Fisher's heart condition was probably worsened by her smoking habit, as well as the medications she took.

'If you want to know what killed her, it's all of it,' he said.

Todd also said it was difficult to blame doctors who treated his sister because they were trying to help her.

'They were doing their best to cure a mental disorder. Can you really blame them?' he said. 

'Without her drugs, maybe she would have left long ago.' 

Fisher was returning home from London on Friday went she went into cardiac arrest before her flight landed at Los Angeles International Airport.

Prior to landing at least one person on the plane rushed to help Fisher and administered CPR to the actress, who stopped breathing for approximately 10 minutes.

She received emergency treatment on the plane before she was rushed to a hospital, where her brother later reported she was in critical condition.

The actress and writer had been in London promoting her latest book, The Princess Diarist, and filming the Amazon show Catastrophe. 

Baby girl: Fisher was the only daughter of Reynolds and Hollywood Lothario Eddie Fisher (above in 1957)

Baby girl: Fisher was the only daughter of Reynolds and Hollywood Lothario Eddie Fisher (above in 1957)

Baby girl, part two: Fisher and her daughter Billie (above in 1992), whose father is CAA super-agent Bryan Lourd 

Baby girl, part two: Fisher and her daughter Billie (above in 1992), whose father is CAA super-agent Bryan Lourd 

Her passing also came one month after she spoke about death in an interview with Rolling Stone.

When asked if she feared death the actress said: 'No. I fear dying. Anything with pain associated with it, I don't like. I've been there for a couple of people when they were dying; it didn't look like fun. But if I was gonna do it, I'd want someone like me around. And I will be there!'

And in her hugely successful 2008 memoir Wishful Drinking, Fisher wrote about how she would like her obituary to read.

'I want it reported that I drowned in moonlight, strangled by my own bra,' she wrote.

In that same book, Fisher also addressed her mental illness, writing: 'I feel I'm very sane about how crazy I am.'

Fisher wrote in another passage: 'Having waited my entire life to get an award for something, anything … I now get awards all the time for being mentally ill. It’s better than being bad at being insane, right? How tragic would it be to be runner-up for Bipolar Woman of the Year?' 

Fisher was born famous thanks to her mother and father, actor and noted Hollywood Lothario Eddie Fisher.

He left the family soon after Fisher was born when he began an affair with Reynolds' good friend, Elizabeth Taylor.

Fisher's first film role came in the Warren Beatty film Shampoo, in which she had a bit part alongside Julie Christie and Goldie Hawn.

She made a name for herself however at the age of 20 thanks to her role in the Star wars franchise.

Fisher followed the commercial success of the Star Wars films with critical praise in films like Woody Allen's Hannah and her Sisters and When Harry Met Sally...

At the same time she released her first novel, Postcards From the Edge. 

It later became a film as well, starring Streep who was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance.

Streep paid tribute to Fisher at her memorial service earlier this year by singing a rendition of the classic 1929 tune 'Happy Days are Here Again,' which was later made famous by Barbara Streisand. 

Regal return: Fisher was back in action in Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015 (above)

Regal return: Fisher was back in action in Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015 (above)

Girls and their dogs: Fisher had been in London prior to her death to film the third season of the Amazon show 'Catastrophe' (above with creator Sharon Horgan) 

Girls and their dogs: Fisher had been in London prior to her death to film the third season of the Amazon show 'Catastrophe' (above with creator Sharon Horgan) 

Farewell: Fisher just before boarding her flight to Los Angeles in December (above) what is now the last photograph of the actress

Farewell: Fisher just before boarding her flight to Los Angeles in December (above) what is now the last photograph of the actress

Fisher began to focus more on her writing in the 90s, and appeared in just a handful of films, while also becoming a script doctor in Hollywood.

Among the screenplays Fisher worked on were Sister Act, Lethal Weapon 3, Outbreak and The Wedding Singer.

She was also a frequent writer for the Academy Awards telecasts and penned an episode of the comedy Roseanne.

She made memorable television appearances in the past decade, appearing as Peter Griffin's boss Angela on Family Guy and most notably as writer Rosemary Howard on an episode of 30 Rock, for which she was nominated for an Emmy.

Gabbin' with Graham: A week before she went into cardiac arrest, Fisher appeared on 'The Graham Norton Show' (above)

Gabbin' with Graham: A week before she went into cardiac arrest, Fisher appeared on 'The Graham Norton Show' (above)

Fisher more recently appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and will be seen  in the upcoming Star Wars film set for released this December.

Her latest memoir, The Princess Diarist, was actually the diary she had kept around the time she started filming the first Star Wars back in 1977.

In that she reveals that she had a brief affair with Harrison Ford, the first of her many famous lovers.

Once that broke off she went on to date and then marry Paul Simon in 1983, though their union was brief and tumultuous.

Fisher had been briefly engaged to actor Dan Aykroyd before marrying Simon, but split with him to get together with the singer.

After splitting with Simon she went on to date Bryan Lourd, with whom she had her daughter Billie in 1994.

Fisher has given various interviews over the years about her diagnosis of bipolar disorder and addiction to prescription drugs and cocaine, which she admitted using on the set of The Empire Strikes Back.

Asked by Vanity Fair in 2006 how she persuaded Star Wars director George Lucas to give her the part of Princess Leia, she said: 'I slept with some nerd. I hope it was George.'

She 'took too many drugs to remember' who it was, she added.

Fisher has also discussed being treated with electroconvulsive therapy, in which small electric currents are passed through the brain, to trigger brief seizures and treat depression.

And she frequently spoke of her greatest joy, her daughter Billie. 

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Larita Shotwell

Update: 2024-10-26