<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/drugs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drug</a> overdoses topped records again in 2022, new government data show.
Nearly 108,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2022, according to <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db491.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
A total of 107,941 people died from drug overdoses that year, about 1,200 more or 1% higher than those who died in 2021.
The number of overdose deaths has been rising for two decades, hitting new records nearly every year.
The overdose death rate for teens and adults younger than 35 decreased slightly, while rates increased for adults age 35 and older.
Men consistently make up the vast majority of overdose deaths by far, about 70% of all deaths. In 2022, the female overdose death rate declined for the first time in five years, but the male rate continued to climb.
American Indian and Alaska Native people continued to have the highest overdose death rate, which spiked 15% in 2022. Black, Hispanic, and Asian people also saw their overdose death rates rise, while rates decreased among white Americans.
Powerful synthetic opioids such as fentanyl continue to drive the death rate up precipitously.
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Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/portland-sees-biggest-fentanyl-bust-in-sheriffs-office-history">about</a> 50 times more potent than heroin, has been on the rise in the U.S. for years. The deadly synthetic opioid is inexpensive to make, easily transported, and has been increasingly smuggled over the southern border by Mexican cartels.
As little as two milligrams of fentanyl weighing the same as a few grains of salt can cause a fatal overdose, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/portland-sees-biggest-fentanyl-bust-in-sheriffs-office-history">according</a> to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Because it is frequently cut with other drugs, users may often be unaware that they are consuming the powerful substance, which can be deadly even in small doses.
Synthetic opioids caused about 23 deaths for every 100,000 people in 2022, 4% higher than in 2021. Meanwhile, deaths due to natural opioids such as heroin decreased.
Deaths involving cocaine also spiked 12% in 2022. Deaths involving psychostimulants such as methamphetamine also increased 4%.
Overdose death numbers for 2023 have not yet been reported.
The new data also showed that overall life expectancy increased for Americans by more than a year up to 77.5 years.
This is partially due to the COVID death rate declining, but it does not quite make up for the 2.4 years of life expectancy lost since the pandemic. Life expectancy remains lower than it has been in about two decades.
The death rates for infants and children up to 14 jumped between 2021 and 2022 while the death rate for age groups above 14 decreased.
Heart disease remained the leading cause of death, with cancer in second place.
Those conditions cause about two out of very five deaths in the country, although the death rates for both decreased 4% and 3%, respectively, in 2022.

Handcuffs on wrist, drug syringe

Drug Overdose Deaths Smashed Records Again In 2022

Drugs

Fentanyl

Health

Health Care

overdose

U.S.

New details have emerged about the 2008 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/death">death</a> of actor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/celebrities">Heath Ledger</a> at the age of 28.
The “10 Things I Hate About You” star died from an accidental drug <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/overdose">overdose</a> in January 2008, but now film director Stephen Gaghan is sharing some details about finding out Ledger had died, including his connection to the tragedy.
Gaghan was working with the Australian <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/entertainment">star</a> on the film &#8220;Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking,&#8221; which was based on a book written by Malcolm Gladwell. He recently recalled getting a call from Ledger’s father just after the actor was found dead in his home by his housekeeper.
“I got a phone call, they were on speakerphone and it was Heath Ledger’s father, who I’d never met &#8230; and a guy who was really close to him. They were there with the body and our script was in bed with him, and your book was on the bedside table,&#8221; he told Gladwell during an appearance on the &#8220;Revisionist History&#8221; podcast series &#8220;Development Hell,&#8221; per <a href="https://people.com/director-shares-call-he-got-from-heath-ledgers-dad-at-scene-of-his-death-8602921">People</a>. 
&#8220;I think my number was on the script, like written. These guys, as you can imagine, they are in shock and they dialed that number and I don’t know why,&#8221; Gaghan continued.
&#8220;I’m in an airport with my wife [Minnie Mortimer] just going from one place to another, and I literally just collapse, never happened to me before or since,&#8221; the director said. &#8220;My feet went out from under me. I just literally sat down because I was like, &#8216;What?&#8217; The emotion, what they were going through, I should not have been a party to in any way really, and yet as a human or as somebody who just cares, I just was there and I was listening and my wife was looking at me. I remember her face and I was just like, I was speechless. I just listened and listened and listened. It was just really, really sad. And it’s still sad. For me, I just had to put a pin in it.&#8221;
The podcast &#8220;Development Hell&#8221; explores projects that were never made and why. Gaghan said Leonardo DiCaprio was originally attached to “Blink” but “it never got off the ground.” The director explained how he eventually decided Ledger was a better fit for the role.
&#8220;I’d gotten to be very, very close with him instantly,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I just had a real connection with him that was kind of unusual and really special to me. I got really excited and I started seeing him as the main character. Once I started seeing that I couldn’t unsee it, and obviously it was very delicate in a way. Leo’s totally cool. I mean, obviously, he has a thousand choices, but in my mind it was a big deal.&#8221;
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“Blink” was never developed after Ledger’s death, though Gaghan said on the podcast he recently revisited the script and still thought it was &#8220;really good.&#8221;

Heath Ledger

Hollywood Director Shares New Details About Heath Ledger’s 2008 Death

Hollywood Director Shares New Details About Heath Ledger's 2008 Death

Celebrities

Death

Entertainment

Hollywood

The official cause of death for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/celebrities">Rick Harrison</a>’s son Adam has been revealed by the coroner’s office.
Harrison is best known for starring on the hit History Channel series “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/reality-tv">Pawn Stars</a>,” which is set in his pawn shop in Las Vegas. Adam&#8217;s cause of death was ruled an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/overdose">accident</a> and was caused by &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fentanyl">fentanyl</a> and methamphetamine toxicity,&#8221; the Clark County Nevada coroners confirmed, per <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/pawn-stars-rick-harrisons-son-official-cause-of-death-determined-coroner">Fox News Digital</a>.
Adam died on January 19 at the age of 39. Per <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/01/26/entertainment/pawn-stars-rick-harrisons-son-adam-lacked-sound-reasoning-and-mental-clarity-before-fatal-overdose/">The New York Post</a>, he had been in jail previously and was living in a guesthouse for several weeks and exhibiting “alarming behavior, including barricading himself in the house by pushing furniture against the house,&#8221; per one of his neighbors. 
Another neighbor contacted the landlord when she was unable to contact Adam. The landlord discovered him unresponsive in his bed.
Harrison already suspected that fentanyl was to blame for his son&#8217;s death and made his thoughts on the drug crisis known. 
“Yes, I can confirm Adam died from a fentanyl overdose,” the 58-year-old reality star said shortly after Adam died, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pawn-stars-rick-harrison-blames-border-crisis-for-sons-overdose-death-we-need-to-do-better">reported</a>. 
“The fentanyl crisis in this country must be taken more seriously,” he said. “It seems it is just flowing over the borders and nothing is being done about it. We must do better.”
The “Pawn Stars” celeb originally posted a tribute to his son on social media.
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“You will always be in my heart! I love you,” Harrison shared on Instagram alongside a photo of himself and Adam together.
“Wax wtf I will always love you bubba,” Adam’s brother Corey, 40, who was also a prominent cast member on “Pawn Stars,” posted on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/realcoreyharrison/p/C2Tt6EerJiz/">social media</a> alongside a throwback photo of himself with Adam from childhood.
Harrison had Adam and Corey with his ex-wife, Kim. He is currently married to his fourth wife, Amanda Palmer.
“Pawn Stars” is a well-known and popular reality series that boasts 21 seasons on the air. It’s based on the staff of the World Famous Gold &amp; Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas as they buy, sell, and pawn items in the store. 
Adam was not part of the show but he may have worked at the family store, which has been in operation since 1989.

Rick Harrison

‘Pawn Stars’ Rick Harrison’s Son’s Official Cause Of Death Revealed

'Pawn Stars' Rick Harrison's Son's Official Cause Of Death Revealed

Reality TV

A cause of death for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/comedian">comedian</a> Dana Carvey’s 32-year-old son, Dex, has been revealed by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
Dex’s death was confirmed to be a result of an accidental drug <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/overdose">overdose</a>. The medical examiner found that he had a combination of fentanyl, ketamine, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/drugs">cocaine</a> in his system at the time of his death, per <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/01/24/entertainment/dana-carveys-son-dexs-official-cause-of-death-revealed/">The New York Post</a>.
The “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/saturday-night-live">Saturday Night Live</a>” star and his wife made the announcement on November 16, 2023, via <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CzuXVNoPvlj/">Instagram</a> that their son had tragically died. “Last night we suffered a terrible tragedy,” Carvey shared in the social media post, noting that Dex had overdosed at the age of 32.
“Dex packed a lot into those 32 years. He was extremely talented at so many things&#8211;music, art, film making, comedy&#8211;and pursued all of them passionately,” the post continued. “It&#8217;s not an exaggeration to say that Dex loved life.”
“And when you were with him, you loved life too,&#8221; the statement said. &#8220;He made everything fun. But most of all, he loved his family, his friends and his girlfriend, Kaylee. Dex was a beautiful person. His handmade birthday cards are a treasure. We will miss him forever.”
Carvey and his wife concluded with a message of solidarity for “anyone struggling with addiction or who loves someone struggling with addiction.”
“You are in our hearts and prayers,” the couple concluded.
Carvey and his wife, Paula Zwagerman, have been married since 1983. They also have another son, Thomas. 
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The “SNL” comedian recently returned to work on a podcast he co-hosts with David Spade, saying it was “healthy” to get back into his return.
“I thought about this over the holidays and decided to come back to the podcast because I think, you know, it’s a long day when you’re not working and you get in your head,” he told fans during his first episode back, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dana-carvey-returns-to-work-shares-update-following-sons-death-from-drug-overdose">reported</a>. “And I think it’s going to be a great break, and I think it’s really cool to laugh.”
“I’m kind of on the pain train,” Carvey added. “You don’t know how long you’re going to be on it or when it will stop or when it will get better. In the meantime, all this kind of stuff is very healthy.”

Dex Carvey

Dana Carvey’s Son Dex’s Cause Of Death Revealed

Dana Carvey's Son Dex's Cause Of Death Revealed

comedian

Saturday Night Live

Rick Harrison, who is best known for his work on the History Channel&#8217;s hit <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/reality-tv">reality</a> series “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/television">Pawn Stars</a>,” blamed the border crisis for the recent death of his son, Adam.
Harrison <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/01/22/entertainment/pawn-stars-lead-rick-harrisons-sons-cause-of-death-revealed/">told</a> The New York Post that Adam, who was 39, died from a fentanyl <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/overdose">overdose</a>. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fentanyl">Fentanyl</a> deaths are reportedly on the rise nationwide, and the influx of the drug can be traced back to illegal drug trafficking from other countries. 
“Yes, I can confirm Adam died from a fentanyl overdose,” the 58-year-old reality star told The Post in a statement on Monday.
“The fentanyl crisis in this country must be taken more seriously,” he said. “It seems it is just flowing over the borders and nothing is being done about it. We must do better.”
Harrison’s rep confirmed that Adam died in Las Vegas last week.
“You will always be in my heart! I love you,” Harrison shared on Instagram alongside a photo of himself and his son together. 
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“Wax wtf I will always love you bubba,” Adam’s brother Corey, 40, who was also a prominent cast member on “Pawn Stars,” <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C2Tt6EerJiz/?hl=en">posted</a> on social media. He also shared a throwback photo of himself with Adam from childhood.
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Harrison had Adam and Corey with his ex-wife, Kim. He is currently married to his fourth wife, Amanda Palmer.
“Pawn Stars” boasts 21 seasons on The History Channel and is one of the most popular and highly-rated reality shows. It’s based on the staff of the World Famous Gold &amp; Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas as they buy, sell, and pawn items in the store. The program also shows the staff haggling over the price and revealing interesting facts about the items customers bring in.
Adam was not part of the show and didn’t seem to be involved with the family business, which has been in operation since 1989. Harrison runs the store with the help of Corey and Corey’s childhood friend, Austin &#8220;Chumlee&#8221; Russell.
The show has inspired multiple spinoffs and is broadcast around the world.

‘Pawn Stars’ Rick Harrison Blames Border Crisis For Son’s Overdose Death: ‘We Need To Do Better’

'Pawn Stars' Rick Harrison Blames Border Crisis For Son's Overdose Death

Border Crisis

Television

“<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/saturday-night-live">Saturday Night Live</a>” alum <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/comedian">Dana Carvey</a> has returned to his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/podcast">podcast</a> for the first time since his son Dex’s death from an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/drugs">overdose</a> last year. 
The 68-year-old comedic actor gave an update on the latest episode of the “Fly on the Wall” podcast he hosts with fellow “SNL” actor David Spade, per <a href="https://variety.com/2024/film/news/dana-carvey-returns-podcast-son-death-dex-saturday-night-live-1235876348/">Variety</a>.
“If you’re listening to our podcast, you probably know about my family’s loss,” Carvey said during the episode. “I just wanted to say that the amount of outpouring online and emailing and people I still haven’t been able to call back is incredible.”
“I thought about this over the holidays and decided to come back to the podcast because I think, you know, it’s a long day when you’re not working and you get in your head,” he added. “And I think it’s going to be a great break, and I think it’s really cool to laugh.”
Spade agreed that it was “nice to do the show again” after Carvey took time off to mourn.
Carvey explained how he and his family have been grieving since Dex’s death last fall. &#8220;It’s me and my wife and our son’s private journey,&#8221; he said, referring to his younger son, Thomas.
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&#8220;We’re all together, and we do a lot of fun things… We hike, we go to church. You just want to make sure you keep moving.&#8221;
Carvey said one reason he wanted to return to the podcast is because “riffing” with Spade is “healthy” for him as he processes the loss of his son.
“I’m kind of on the pain train,” he said. “You don’t know how long you’re going to be on it or when it will stop or when it will get better. In the meantime, all this kind of stuff is very healthy.”
Carvey’s oldest son overdosed and died at the age of 32 in November. He told fans about his son’s death on social media, calling it a “terrible tragedy.” 
“Dex packed a lot into those 32 years,” Carvey wrote at the time. “He was extremely talented at so many things — music, art, filmmaking, comedy — and pursued all of them passionately.”

Dana Carvey

Dana Carvey Returns To Work, Shares Update Following Son’s Death From Drug Overdose

Dana Carvey Returns To Work, Shares Update Following Son's Death From Drug Overdose

New York City hit a grim milestone last year, logging a record number of drug overdose deaths.
A total of 3,026 people died of a drug overdose in 2022, the highest number since the city started tracking deaths in 2000, according to city <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/epi/databrief137.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/site/doh/about/press/pr2023/commissioner-advisory-overdose-crisis-reaches-historic-levels.page#:~:text=Ashwin%20Vasan.,recognize%20the%20signs%20of%20overdose." target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> on Monday.
Last year&#8217;s overdose deaths are up 12% from the 2,696 deaths the city experienced in 2021. The rate jumped to more than 43 overdose deaths per 100,000 city dwellers.
Black New Yorkers had the highest overdose death rate at 62 deaths per 100,000 residents and the biggest rate increase from 2021 to 2022. Out of the five boroughs, the Bronx had the highest overdose death rate last year, with about 74 deaths per 100,000 residents, a jump over the previous year. Staten Island had the second-highest rate.
Middle-aged adults from 55 to 64 had the highest overdose rate of any age group.
Fentanyl is one of the main culprits. The synthetic opioid has been flooding into the U.S. illegal drug market in recent years, <a href="https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-03/DEA_GOV_DIR-008-20%20Fentanyl%20Flow%20in%20the%20United%20States_0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">primarily</a> from Mexico and China, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Fentanyl is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine and is deadly in doses as small as 10 grains of salt.
Fentanyl was present in 81% of overdose deaths in New York City last year. More than half of the deaths also involved cocaine.
Besides the ongoing scourge of fentanyl, a new drug is also causing headaches for New York.
Xylazine, or “tranq” as it is known on the streets, is a cheap, flesh-rotting horse tranquilizer mass-manufactured in China that has recently <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/08/28/zombie-drug-tranq-leaves-illegal-narcotics-more-potent-while-making-it-even-harder-for-opioid-addicts-to-quit-doctors-say/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proliferated</a> on the streets of New York, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. The “zombie drug” causes skin lesions that look like flesh is being eaten off, sometimes down to the bone, and can slow a person’s heart and breathing until they stop, leaving users catatonic or dead.
Narcan, the emergency opioid reverse medicine, does not work on “tranq” since xylazine is not an opioid.
New York City has been struggling with a drug overdose crisis for the better part of a decade now.
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Overdose deaths in the city remained at less than 1,000 until 2016, when they <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/epi/databrief137.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spiked</a> to more than 1,400. When the pandemic hit in 2020, deaths spiked again, topping 2,100 fatal overdoses.
The overdose death crisis is killing a person in New York City every three hours, Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said.
Vasan urged all New Yorkers to carry naloxone, brand name Narcan, the opioid overdose-reversing medication. He also urged drug users not to take drugs alone and to seek treatment, saying, &#8220;We have a range of options and harm reduction is the foundation.&#8221;
New York City offers a slate of &#8220;harm reduction&#8221; services, <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/basas/syringe-service.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">including</a> sites that provide drug users with clean syringes and supervision.
Also in June, the city <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nyc-vending-machines-provide-free-crack-pipes-condoms-narcan-to-drug-users" target="_blank" rel="noopener">debuted</a> the first of four vending machines that provide free crack pipes, condoms, and Narcan, among other items. Drug addicts can access the items by providing their New York City zip code.
The city&#8217;s health commissioner also said, &#8220;Everyone should have a candid, judgement-free conversation at your kitchen table about drugs and their danger. We’re all in this together.&#8221;

Bronx Borough Faces Major Unemployment Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

New York City Saw Record Fatal Drug Overdoses Last Year

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A man was sentenced to ten years in prison over the sale of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/drugs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fentanyl-laced heroin</a> that led to the death of “The Wire” actor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/celebrities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael K. Williams</a>.
Irvin “Green Eyes” Cartagena is originally from Puerto Rico. He received the sentence, including five years of supervised release, for conspiring to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and fentanyl analogue, <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/dealer-fentanyl-laced-heroin-resulted-overdose-death-actor-michael-k-williams" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the United States Attorney for the Southern District of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-york-city" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York</a>.
The court found that Cartagena, 40, distributed the fentanyl-laced heroin that resulted in Williams’ overdose death after surveillance footage showed him handing drugs to the actor the day before he was discovered dead. He was one of four men charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and other drugs.
“Michael K. Williams tragically lost his life after using the drugs sold to him by Cartagena. Although their product had already claimed one life, Cartagena and his co-conspirators continued to sell potentially lethal fentanyl-laced heroin,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement.
“This office will tenaciously continue our enforcement efforts against unscrupulous drug dealers who distribute poison and exacerbate the scourge of the fentanyl epidemic,” it went on.
Cartagena returned to Puerto Rico after Williams died but was located and arrested in February 2022.
The actor was discovered dead in his Manhattan apartment in September 2021. The medical examiner ruled he died from “acute intoxication by the combined effects of fentanyl, p-fluorofentanyl, heroin and cocaine,” as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/four-men-arrested-in-connection-with-overdose-death-of-actor-michael-k-williams" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. 
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Fentanyl-laced drugs are leading to more overdose deaths. 
New York City’s Department of Health <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/site/doh/about/press/pr2023/overdose-rates-reach-unprecedented-levels.page#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> that “fentanyl — an opioid 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine —was detected in 80% of drug overdose deaths in New York City in 2021 and was the most common substance involved in overdose deaths for the fifth year in a row.”
“This is a public health crisis. And it has to stop,” U.S. Attorney Williams said in February 2022 as part of a statement on Williams’ death. “Deadly opioids like fentanyl and heroin don’t care about who you are or what you’ve accomplished. They just feed addiction and lead to tragedy. The Southern District of New York and our law enforcement partners will not give up. We will bring every tool to bear. And we will continue to hold accountable the dealers who push this poison, exploit addiction, and cause senseless death.”

Michael K. Williams

Dealer Who Sold Actor Michael K. Williams Fatal Dose Of Heroin Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison

Hollywood star Tatum O&#8217;Neal — who has struggled with drug addiction for decades — opened up about the stroke she suffered in 2020 from an overdose, which she said almost killed her, and her long path to recovery.
During an interview with the 59-year-old actress and her son, Kevin McEnroe, the two talked about how O&#8217;Neal is doing several years into recovery after her overdose and stroke — which resulted in spending six weeks in a coma.
&#8220;I almost died,&#8221; O&#8217;Neal told <a href="https://people.com/tatum-o-neal-stroke-almost-died-exclusive-7552983?utm_campaign=people&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=instagram&amp;utm_content=likeshop" target="_blank" rel="noopener">People</a> magazine.
McEnroe, her son with ex-husband and former tennis star John McEnroe, said when his mom overdosed, &#8220;It was the phone call we&#8217;d always been waiting for.&#8221;
&#8220;She also had a cardiac arrest and a number of seizures,&#8221; McEnroe said. &#8220;There were times we didn&#8217;t think she was going to survive.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Tatum O’Neal Reveals She Had A Near-Fatal Stroke: ‘I Overdosed and Almost Died’ (Exclusive) <a href="https://t.co/Fp7Bjz679C">https://t.co/Fp7Bjz679C</a> <a href="https://t.co/P3DBOZzQ76">pic.twitter.com/P3DBOZzQ76</a>
&mdash; People (@people) <a href="https://twitter.com/people/status/1676563214157373440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The star&#8217;s son said the isolation his mom felt during COVID combined with chronic pain was one of the factors that led to the overdose and stroke.
&#8220;She had become very isolated,&#8221; McEnroe said. &#8220;With the addition of morphine and heavier pharmaceuticals, it was getting scary. COVID, chronic pain, all these things led to a place of isolation. In that place, I don&#8217;t think, for her, there was much hope.&#8221;
In May 2020, the Oscar winner was found by a friend in her Century City apartment where she was rushed to the hospital after an overdose.
There she was diagnosed with <a href="https://people.com/health/aphasia-can-have-many-causes-an-expert-shares-what-to-know-about-this-complex-condition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">aphasia</a> and &#8220;had damage to her right frontal cortex,&#8221; McEnroe told the outlet.
&#8220;At times, it was touch and go,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I had to call my brother and sister and say she was thought to be blind, deaf and potentially might never speak again.&#8221;
&#8220;She didn&#8217;t know where she was,&#8221; McEnroe continued &#8220;She couldn&#8217;t say, &#8216;I&#8217;m scared.'&#8221;
For the past three years, O&#8217;Neal has been working hard to get back her strength, memory, and ability to read and write.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve been through a lot,&#8221; the actress said.
McEnroe admitted his mom still has a ways to go as she works on her recovery and noted that, &#8220;Emotionally the things that made my mom want to take drugs in the first place, those things are still very present.&#8221;
&#8220;I’ve been trying to get sober my whole life,&#8221; the &#8220;Paper Moon&#8221; star said. &#8220;Every day, I am trying.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/tatum-oneal-almost-died-from-overdose-after-stroke-left-coma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">O&#8217;Neal</a> has a total of three kids whom she shares with her ex-husband: Kevin, Emily, and Sean.

Tatum O’Neal

‘I Almost Died’: Actress Tatum O’Neal Talks Near Fatal Stroke From Overdose And Path To Recovery

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