The 31-year-old reality star says her sibling fell into addiction due to his private battle with Lyme disease, adding that he first started experiencing symptoms of the disease at age 15.
- Nov 3, 2023
AceShowbiz - Olivia Flowers has finally revealed her brother Conner's cause of death. In a candid interview with PEOPLE, the "Southern Charm" divulged that he died of fentanyl overdose.
"It's just heartbreaking," the 31-year-old told the outlet. "There are these holes in the healthcare system, and my brother fell into one."
Olivia said Conner fell into addiction due to his private battle with Lyme disease. She said he first started experiencing symptoms of the disease at age 15, though he wasn't diagnosed until many years later.
"My parents saw the best of the best clinics, and Conner was just told over and over, 'It's all in your head, you're fine,' " the reality star recounted, saying he experienced bad headaches as well as joint and body pain. "It just changed him... The symptoms he had from Lyme, they were debilitating."
Conner then became addicted to opioids and Xanax as he thought they could help him recover. "Now, not only was he getting treatment for Lyme, but he was also in rehab dealing with getting off this medicine," Olivia shared.
"Nobody wanted to get better more than Conner did. It was just such a hard time. We are very, very close as a family," she continued. "We were all very involved and rallied around him. But for years he was just in and out of rehab, trying so hard to get on the other side of this."
Conner passed away on January 30 at his residence located in the Isle of Palms outside Charleston, SC. Remembering her late sibling, Oliva said, "My brother, he was very lively and loved bringing people together; he literally made friends everywhere we'd go. Even when we went on vacation, we'd go down the hotel lobby to get breakfast and he knew everyone by name. He was this 6'5" beautiful guy who had the biggest heart."
