David Gail.Photo:Jeff Katz /Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
Jeff Katz /Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
New details have been released aboutDavid Gail’s cause of death.
The actor — known for his roles inPort CharlesandBeverly Hills, 90210 —died on Jan. 16at age 58 from anoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, a brain injury resulting from lack of blood, following resuscitation from cardio pulmonary arrest due to drug intoxication from substances including amphetamines, cocaine, ethanol and fentanyl, according to a statement from Gail’s publicist on behalf of his family.
In the statement, Gail’s mother, Mary Painter, shared her heartbreak over her son’s death.
“It breaks my heart to learn that my son died this way,” Painter said. “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."
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David Gail.Getty
Getty
“He struggled to stop taking pharmaceuticals and did before turning toward a more Eastern pain management including acupuncture and natural medicines,” she continued. “I can only assume that his former opioid dependence played a part in self-medicating from uncontrolled sources.”
Painter went on to express her hope that David’s death would help bring awareness to the dangers of pharmaceutical addiction and the fentanyl epidemic.
“David’s death shines a light on the countless innocent victims of pharmaceutical addiction and the fentanyl epidemic that has taken so many of our sons and daughters,” she added in the statement. “Please keep David, and others battling pain or dependence, in your thoughts and prayers.”
Gail’s sister, Kathryn Gail, first announced the news of his death onInstagramon Jan. 20, calling him her “best friend” and “an amazing, fierce human being.”
David Gail in 2010.Charley Gallay/WireImage
Charley Gallay/WireImage
Painter later issued a statement about her son’s death as she thanked fans for their condolence messages.
David, a Florida native, began his acting career in the early 1990s with roles in shows includingGrowing PainsandDoogie Houser, M.D., according to hisIMDB page. He played Stuart Carson, the fiancé ofShannen Doherty’s character Brenda Walsh inBeverly Hills, 90210, and Dean Collins inSavannah.
From 1999 to 2000, he starred as Dr. Joe Scanlon in more than 200 episodes of theGeneral HospitalspinoffPort Charles.
source: people.com
