Jeff Conaway Succumbs to Addiction

Another celebrity has lost his fight with the insidious disease of addiction. While actor Jeff Conaway, famous for his turns in the TV series Taxi and as Kenickie in the movie Grease, officially died from pneumonia, his long battle with addiction no doubt played a role in his demise. It was a struggle that was televised in 2008 thanks to Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew, a reality show that gives viewers an inside, up-close look at addiction.

Conaway, 60, suffered from pneumonia and sepsis in recent weeks and had been in a medically-induced coma in an Encino, California, hospital for two weeks, manager Phil Brock said. He was surrounded by family when he was taken off life support before the 2011 Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Dr. Drew Pinsky, who treated Conaway for substance abuse, posted the following message on Twitter after learning of Conaway's death:

"I'm saddened to report he has succumbed to his addiction, thus far we have no evidence of an intentional overdose, rather this is the natural history of prescription drug addiction, pneumonia, septic shock, etc."

Initial reports claimed that Conaway suffered a drug overdose, but those were later found to be inaccurate, although a source close to the actor admitted that Conaway’s use of drugs caused him not to realize how ill he was, keeping him from getting treatment for pneumonia until it was too late. Much of Conaway’s drug use stemmed from chronic pain, a problem that has lead many to battle an addiction to prescription painkillers.

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