Autopsy: Don Cornelius Plagued by Seizures before
Suicide
*E! News has obtained the graphic autopsy results on “Soul
Train” founder Don Cornelius, who died in February at the age of 75.
The
documents reaffirm the coroner’s ruling issued then: the cause of death was a
self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head which entered through the right
temple.
The autopsy report states that Cornelius had suffered an aneurysm
about 15 years ago which caused him to develop seizures and “as time went on the
decedent’s health continued to decline regardless of his medication.”
It
notes that on Feb. 1 at approximately 3 a.m., the 75-year-old “Soul Train” host
phoned his son and said, “I don’t know how long I can take this.” Moments later,
Cornelius apparently shot himself.
His son later told investigators, “[I] found the back door
open and detected the odor of smoke … then found him unresponsive on a chair.
911 was dialed.”
The report, which includes vivid depictions of Don
Cornelius’ wounds, reveals that he had been “very depressed about his failing
health” for the past six months.
After paramedics failed to revive him with
CPR, the impresario was pronounced dead at 4:56 a.m. No suicide note was found
and no foul play was suspected.
The autopsy report also reveals that Cornelius shot himself in
the left temple and the bullet exited his right temple.
Read the Coroner Investigator’s summary here
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