“Beverly Hills 90210″ and “Port Charles” actor David Gail suffered a fatal heart attack in part over damage to his body brought on by years of drug abuse, his mother said in a statement last week.
According to Mary Painter, her son struggled with a yearslong opioid addiction that damaged his body.
“It breaks my heart to learn that my son died this way. David became reliant on medicine many years ago, after multiple surgeries on his hands and wrists. He lived in enough pain to prevent him from working for almost a decade, with relief only achieved through full disability, physical therapy and pain medicine,” Painter said in the statement.
“He struggled to stop taking pharmaceuticals and did before turning toward a more Eastern pain management including acupuncture and natural medicines. I can only assume that his former opioid dependence played a part in self-medicating from uncontrolled sources,” she said.
Painter said she believes her son became addicted to prescription drugs after he received opioids after several painful surgeries, according to People.
Gail made his television debut in 1990 on the sitcom “Growing Pains.” He appeared on “90210″ and was in more than 200 episodes of the soap opera “Port Charles.”
According to IMDb, his other television credits include the WB show “Savannah,” “Murder, She Wrote” and “Doogie Howser, M.D.”
“Please keep David and others battling pain or dependence, in your thoughts and prayers.” Painter’s statement said. “We are extremely touched by the outpouring of love from David’s dedicated fans and colleagues. We are grateful for all the support received during this very difficult time.”
According to the autopsy, Gail, 58, had consumed amphetamines, cocaine, ethanol and fentanyl before his death, United Press International reported.
Gail would have turned 59 on Tuesday.
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