Carrie Fisher had heroin and cocaine in her system when she passed away, a toxicology report has revealed. The results indicated that the 60-year-old actress had the drugs in her body when she became ill on a flight in December. She had a heart attack as she flew from London to LA, and spent several days in hospital before passing away. The report stated that "the exposure to cocaine took place sometime approximately in the last 72 hours of the sample that was obtained". It also revealed that Carrie had a "remote exposure to MDMA", which is more commonly known as ecstasy.
© Photo: Getty ImagesCarrie Fisher pictured with her daughter Billie Lourd
The toxicology results further confirmed that there were traces of an anti-depressant and antihistamine. It remains unclear of drug use ultimately contributed to Carrie's death. On Friday, a statement from the LA Coroner said the exact cause of death was unknown, but cited factors including sleep apnoea, heart disease and drug use.
Following the findings, Carrie's daughter Billie Lourd released a heartfelt statement to People magazine. "My mum 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," Billie, 24, said. "She talked about the shame that torments people and their families confronted by these diseases. I know my Mum, 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."
