Carrie Fisher's death caused by sleep apnea, says coroner

Significance of heart disease, drug addiction in relation to her demise had not been ascertained

The death last year of actor Carrie Fisher, best known for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise, was due to sleep apnea and other causes, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office revealed in a statement on Friday.



Fisher died on December 27, 2016, four days after she became unresponsive on a flight from London to Los Angeles and was rushed to a hospital. The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office conducted an examination of her body on December 30 and has since found she died of sleep apnea and "other undetermined factors," the coroner's statement said.

She also had atherosclerotic heart disease and had used drugs, the statement said, but noted the significance of these factors in relation to her demise had not been ascertained. A watch commander for the coroner's office declined to provide additional details on the findings, referring questions to a representative who was not immediately available.



Fisher was a mental health advocate who spoke about her struggles with bipolar disorder and cocaine addiction. Aside from her film work, she was also popular as a writer and humorist and her memoir The Princess Diarist was released a few weeks before she passed away.

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