The 'Grease' star, who had been in a medically induced coma for more than two weeks, passed away at a Los Angeles-area hospital on Friday, May 27 after he was taken off life-support.
- May 28, 2011
AceShowbiz - Jeff Conaway has died at the age of 60. The star of "Taxi" and "Grease" had been in a medically induced coma for more than a week after being found unconscious in his home earlier this month. His family decided to turn off his life support on Thursday, May 26 despite objections of his longtime girlfriend Vikki Lizzi. He passed away on early Friday.
Jeff's manager Phil Brock informed People Magazine, "Jeff was taken off life-support [Thursday] afternoon. His family chose to take him off of life-support based on advice from physicians. They thought for several days that the situation was hopeless." He further detailed that the actor died at 10:30 A.M. surrounded by his sisters, nieces and nephews.
Despite earlier report that Jeff was hospitalized for an overdose of painkillers, Dr. Drew Pinsky is adamant that "there is no evidence showing Jeff died from an overdose." The celebrity doctor, who treated the actor on "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew", insisted, "This was aspiration with overwhelming pneumonia and sepsis."
Dr. Drew, who has visited the actor in the hospital sometime last week, then put the blame on the effects of too much prescription medication. "Jeff is another example of a pharmaceutical death from the overutilization of prescription drugs," he said, before adding, "Please continue to pray for his friends and family. They appreciate your support."
As soon as the news of Jeff's death broke, many celebrities shared their memories of the actor and condolences to his family. His "Grease" co-star John Travolta told E! News, "Jeff Conaway was a wonderful and decent man, and we will miss him. My heartfelt thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this very difficult time."
Jeff's co-star on "Taxi", Marilu Henner, has also released a statement to E! News. "Jeff was like a brother to me," she said. "Tony Danza and I visited Jeff in the hospital almost daily over the past two weeks. We saw how much love surrounded him, along with his sisters, Michelle and Carla, his wife, Kerri, his ex-wife, Rona, and his friend, Lance."
"Jeff looked the healthiest I'd seen him in a long time and I really thought that he was going to come out of this," her statement continued to read. "I will miss my talented, handsome, loving friend so much."
Meanwhile, former "Hannah Montana" star, Miley Cyrus, took to Twitter to express her condolences. She tweeted a still from "Grease" along with a note that read, "RIP Jeff Conaway. I'll see you in another life." Another Hollywood actress, Alyssa Milano, simply wrote on her own account, "Rest in Peace."
