Fri
Feb 8 2008
12:03 am
Coroner: Renfro's death accidental overdose
By: Pam Strickland

Death spiral

(link...)

LA Times takes combination of Renfro's death and Heath Ledger's to look at the drug issues. Renfro is the larger focus of the article.

And then the coroner's report came out later in the day.

(link...)

pgs
Pam Strickland's picture

Link... KNS also reports

Submitted by Pam Strickland on Sat, 2008/02/09 - 1:39am.

(link...)

KNS also reports morphine was in his system and has more detailed quotes that were paraphrased in LAT.

Harvey said he didn't know what amount of controlled substances Renfro had ingested.

"The actual toxicology report is not in my possession," he said. "We anticipate the report being ready for release probably within the week. All I have is what's going to go on the death certificate."

Harvey speculated that Renfro's overdose could have occurred because the actor had not been using drugs in a while.

"Other people had told us that he was off of the injectables; he wasn't using anything injectable," said Harvey. "You have guys that … go to prison and they were IV drug users, and they're in prison for a period of time. Then they get out of prison, and the first thing they do is they'll score some drugs.

"They buy the same quantity or level of drugs that they were buying before they went into prison, and they use the same quantity or level they used and they'll end up overdosing immediately because their bodies detoxed while they were in prison. They don't take that into consideration.

"And I'm just wondering if he (Renfro) might have done essentially the same thing. He hadn't used it in so long, and when ultimately he did use it again he just simply used the same quantity he did before without thinking, not realizing his body no longer had the same tolerance to it as before."

Pam Strickland

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." ~Kurt Vonnegut

Pam Strickland's picture

It could be, and would make

Submitted by Pam Strickland on Sat, 2008/02/09 - 1:17pm.

It could be, and would make sense that LAT sees that more often than the entertainment writer at KNS.

Pam Strickland

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." ~Kurt Vonnegut

Carole Borges's picture

May Renfro R.I.P.

Submitted by Carole Borges on Sat, 2008/02/09 - 7:08am.

The young actor had a difficult life. Addicts are not monsters. They are sons and daughters, mothers and fathers. They are veterans. They should be pitied not scorned. I'm apalled at the way so many people eat up news about celebrities like Renfro and Spears. They feed on the misery of others. Television has somehow made us all have a paparazzi mentality. Meanwhile Rome burns.

Pam Strickland's picture

I am far from saying that

Submitted by Pam Strickland on Sat, 2008/02/09 - 1:23pm.

I am far from saying that addicts are monsters. I guess I identify some with Renfro in some strange way, and I find myself thinking "There but for the grace of God." And I also think that somehow, someway acknowledging the realities makes us move out of denial in other ways. Maybe it makes a difference in dealing with someone who still might have a chance. I don't know.

I don't see this has paparazzi mentality. I see this as one of our own, who many here thought highly of and are mourning and perhaps looking at a way to move forward in life and relationships with the next kid who might have a problem and they are wondering how to help that kid.

pgs

Pam Strickland

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." ~Kurt Vonnegut

StaceyDiamond's picture

Brittney

Submitted by StaceyDiamond on Sat, 2008/02/09 - 1:39pm.

Brittney Spears is on her way to being next. I hope her parents can stop her. People shouldn't buy the celeb magazines that prey on her. I doubt many of Knoxviews readers do, but too many people do. Its a sahme about Brad. He seemed to have so much to offer. In Heath's case, I bet they were legally prescribed to him, Big Pharma is a whole other piece of the problem.

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

TN Progressive

TN Politics

Knox TN Today

Local TV News

News Sentinel

    State News

    Wire Reports

    Lost Medicaid Funding

    To date, the failure to expand Medicaid/TennCare has cost the State of Tennessee ? in lost federal funding. (Source)

    Search and Archives