James Brown's wife died after taking PCP and prescription drugs, autopsy report says

Jet, Feb 26, 1996

Adrienne Brown, late wife of legendary singer James Brown, died from taking the illegal drug PCP and some very strong prescription medicines as she recovered in Los Angeles from cosmetic surgery, the L.A. coroner's office revealed.

Mrs. Brown, 45, died January 6 in a recovery facility after undergoing cosmetic surgery in Beverly Hills. A coroner's office official pointed out that she already had a bad heart and was weak from the hours of the liposuction surgery she bad undergone. She had been given prescription medication, including Demerol, Valium, Vicodin and morphine, to ease the pain from the surgery. The autopsy confirmed that she had also taken PCP along with the other medication, said Scott Cartier of the coroner's office.

The drugs she consumed entered a body already suffering from heart disease, obesity and lung infection, Carrier said. Her body was further weakened by the liposuction and cosmetic surgery.

Authorities ruled out foul play. After the autopsy, her death was ruled accidental. The official cause of death was ruled "PCP intake and atherosclerotic heart disease,' Carrier said. She was pronounced dead at Century City Hospital after being taken there by paramedics. She had been recovering a short distance away. Her mother, Rita Fischer, told reporters during Mrs. Brown's funeral that her daughter had been under surgery for eight hours" and that it was too much for her. The Browns were married for 10 years. They met while she was a hair. stylist on the syndicated dance/music show "Solid Gold" in the early '80s. She also had been a stylist on the daytime soap "Days of Our Lives."