Corey Haim Was Suffering "Flu-Like" Symptoms
Corey Haim The 80s star was found unresponsive in his mother Judy’s Los Angeles apartment this morning. He had been caring for Judy while she battled breast cancer, and stumbled into her room in the early hours of the morning, complaining of being dizzy and unsteady on his feet.
Judy helped the 38-year-old star back to his bed, where he collapsed and became unresponsive. She called paramedics, but Corey was pronounced dead upon arrival at a local hospital.
"Some time after midnight, he got up, he was dizzy and unsteady on his feet and knelt down," Los Angeles County Coroner Assistant Chief Ed Winter told People magazine. "His mom helped him to a bed and he became unresponsive in about a minute or so. She dialled 911 and he was pronounced dead at a local hospital at 2.15am."
Winter confirmed Corey had been suffering flu-like symptoms for “several days” before he died. The star’s official cause of death has been ruled inconclusive pending an autopsy and toxicology tests, but the Los Angeles Police Department have speculated Corey suffered an accidental prescription drug overdoes.
“LAPD believes it was a possible drug overdose,” Winter said.
Winter confirmed four prescription medication bottles were found in Judy’s home but refused to reveal what they contained. He also denied any illegal drugs were found.
Judy is “devastated” by her son’s death, and has asked the media for privacy as she grieves for him.
"I am a cancer victim and Corey was helping me at home,” she said. "He was a good boy. I'm devastated by his death."
Dozens of other celebrities have also expressed their grief at Corey’s death. His long-time friend and Lost Boys co-star Corey Feldman said he felt like he had lost “a brother”.
"I was awakened at 8:30am by my brother and sister knocking on my bedroom door,” he said in a statement. “They informed me of the loss of my brother Corey Haim. My eyes weren't even open all the way when the tears started streaming down my face.
“This is a tragic loss of a wonderful, beautiful, tormented soul, who will always be my brother, family, and best friend. I hope the art Corey has left behind will be remembered as the passion of that for which he truly lived.”
Ashton Kutcher, Alyssa Milano, Melissa Joan Hart and Christina Applegate took to their Twitter accounts to bid farewell to the star.
A friend of Haim’s was not surprised by his death, claiming the actor misused medication to help him cope with his mother’s illness.
“I’m not surprised that this has happened because he was abusing prescription drugs,” the source told Radar Online. “Corey got really upset that his mom was being treated for breast cancer and that she had lost her hair because of chemotherapy.
“She is all he really had in the world and although he was helping her he got pretty depressed about the situation.
“Corey was a helpful person and a good friend to me and I’m very upset that he has died but I knew that he had been taking too many pills recently to help him cope with the stresses in his life.”
Corey was pronounced dead at St Joseph’s hospital in Burbank this morning.