SAN FRANCISCO — Artist Thomas Kinkade died from an accidental overdose of alcohol and prescription tranquilizers, but his heart had grown so enlarged he had been vulnerable to a fatal heart attack at any point, according to a detailed autopsy report released Tuesday.
The self-described “Painter of Light” died April 6 of an acute combination of ethanol and Diazepam intoxication, or in common terms, of alcohol and the tranquilizer marketed as Valium, the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office said.
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The 54-year-old Kinkade’s sentimental scenes of country gardens and pastoral landscapes led to a commercial empire of franchised galleries, reproduced artwork and spin-off products that was said to fetch some $100 million a year in sales.
In recent years, however, he had run into personal difficulties, including a 2010 bankruptcy filing by one of his companies and an arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence that same year outside Carmel.
Kinkade’s companion found him in the bed they shared at his Monte Sereno home, four hours after he was last known to be alive, said Joseph O’Hara, Santa Clara County’s lead medical examiner. Some of his fingernails still held a residue of green paint, and his toenails were polished a glittery gold, the autopsy report said.
O’Hara described the 6-foot, 254-pound Kinkade as mildly obese and noted that he suffered from systemic hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
“His heart was so big that at any time he was vulnerable,” O’Hara said. “Apparently he had given up drinking and maybe he had just started again. His levels were definitely in the toxic range.”
Several other drugs, including two other prescription tranquilizers, were present in his bloodstream. Kinkade’s urine contained gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, or GHB, which occurs naturally in the human body but can also be used as the so-called date rape drug.
O’Hara said the painter also had suffered several remote blunt force injuries.
“He had a bruise of his abdomen that was healing, a bruise under his scalp, a hemorrhage under his head, as well as multiple healed rib fractures,” O’Hara said. “He took a tumble at some point.”
Judge deciding who gets actor Coleman’s estate
PROVO, Utah — A Utah judge will now decide whether Gary Coleman’s ex-wife or an ex-girlfriend is entitled to the late child TV star’s estate.
Judge James Taylor heard closing arguments Tuesday in Provo but didn’t specify when he’ll issue a ruling.
The “Diff’rent Strokes” actor died of a brain hemorrhage in 2010. His ex-wife, Shannon Price, testified that they lived together even after divorcing in 2008. His ex-girlfriend, Anna Gray, says Coleman named her a beneficiary and executor of his estate in 2008.
It’s not clear how much Coleman’s estate is worth, but court papers mention a $324,000 house and a pension.
Jogger thanks Dustin Hoffman for help after collapse
LONDON — A man who had a cardiac arrest while jogging in London’s Hyde Park says his life was saved with help from a famous passer-by – Dustin Hoffman.
Sam Dempster said Tuesday that the actor waited with him after he collapsed on April 27 until paramedics arrived.
On his recovery blog, the 27-year-old Dempster thanked medical staff and “my newfound favorite celebrity Dustin Hoffman.”
Dempster initially credited Hoffman, 74, with summoning an ambulance, but it turned out that someone else had made the emergency call.
Martin Macarthur, one of the paramedics on the scene, said Hoffman described seeing Dempster collapse and froth at the mouth.
“It is essential to get a history of what has happened, and he witnessed the jogger go down,” Macarthur said. “He stayed on the scene for the whole duration of the resuscitation, which was about 15 minutes. He was very concerned.”
Macarthur said the actor told medics “Great job, guys” after they resuscitated Dempster with a defibrillator.
The “Tootsie” “Rain Man” and “The Graduate” star has a home in London.
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