Despite speculation, Corey Haim’s death wasn’t drug-related, coroner rules

LOS ANGELES — Despite speculation that actor Corey Haim died of a drug overdose, an L.A. County coroner’s office autopsy found
that the former child actor died of pneumonia. Illegal drugs were not a
factor, the coroner found.

“The toxicology report revealed no significant
contributing factor,” said the report, which also noted the 38-year-old
actor had heart disease.

Haim was found unresponsive on March 11 at his mother’s apartment. He later died at a hospital.

Los Angeles Police Department officials said his
death appeared to be an accidental overdose. He had complained of
flulike symptoms before he died.

Attorney General Jerry Brown has cited Haim’s case as an example of problems with prescription drug abuse.

In the weeks before his death from a suspected
accidental overdose, Haim went “doctor shopping” and obtained at least
553 pills of powerful prescription medications from seven doctors and
as many different pharmacies, Brown said.

Brown said Haim visited physicians at offices,
urgent-care facilities and emergency rooms to obtain the potentially
deadly collection of pills and on one occasion used an alias.

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