Celebrity Health

18 Celebrities Who Have Died from Substance Abuse

6. Anna Nicole Smith

In the 1990s, Anna Nicole Smith became famous as a Playboy cover girl and Guess model. Smith died of an accidental drug overdose at age 39.

In 2007, Smith fell ill with a high fever; she refused to go to the hospital because she wanted to avoid the media circus that followed her wherever she went. During this illness, she accidentally overdosed on at least nine prescription drugs. One of these drugs, the sedative chloral hydrate, also contributed to the death of Smith’s idol, Marilyn Monroe.

At the time of her death, Smith had been heavily abusing chloral hydrate. Sometimes, she would even have it directly from the bottle. She had also been taking other prescription medications in normal doses to treat her insomnia, depression, and anxiety. A coroner stated that Smith was probably unaware that the doses of chloral hydrate she had been taking were potentially fatal when combined with other prescription drugs. Her body was already weakened from the fever and the flu.

Five months before her own death, Smith’s son, Daniel, died of a drug overdose. The nineteen-year-old died from a lethal combination of methadone, Zoloft, and Lexapro. The mother started suffering from nightmares and hallucinations; she was completely overwhelmed with grief from the loss of her beloved son.

Photo source: Anna-Nicole-Smith-guess-442489_1239_846 by Peter Martis