Amanda Peterson cause of death revealed: accidental drug overdose

The world was shocked when 80s star Amanda Peterson was found dead in her Colorado home on July 5 at just 43 years old. And while there was a lot of mystery at first as to what caused the death of the young actress, it has finally be revealed that the Can't Buy Me Love actress died of respiratory failure brought on by a "morphine effect" from an accidental drug overdose, according to TMZ, which cited the Weld County Coroner.

Amanda reportedly had several different prescription drugs in her system when she died including benzodizepines, opiates, phenothiazines, and marijuana. It was the presence of gabapentin, a drug prescribed for pain, that the medical examiner said she had six times the normal level in her system.

Amanda Peterson became famous in the 80s for her hit movie Can't Buy Me Love Photo: Twitter/@variety

Prior to the autopsy results being released, Amanda's mother Sylvia told Entertainment Tonight that she had seen her daughter a few days earlier and saw no signs of her being sick, but later said she had various health issues, including sleep apnea.

Sylvia also told People Magazine, "She was just so much fun, and she was just great. She had a cute sense of humor [and a] love of history – just a very, very cute person."

At the time of her death, Amanda's Can't Buy Me Love co-star Patrick Dempsey spoke out about the tragic loss. "In my memory, she will always be vibrant and young," Patrick tweeted. "Gone too soon. Sending my thoughts and prayers to Amanda's family."

The duo appeared as an on-screen couple in the 1987 hit and catapulted Patrick into stardom while it was Amanda's most famous role. In their 20s at the time, the starlet starred as high school cheerleader Cindy Mancini, whom Patrick's character, Ronald, pays to pose as his girlfriend.

Aside from her bond with Patrick, Amanda also touched the lives of many other stars who spoke out on social media after the sad news broke. "When I first came to L.A. and started auditioning, Amanda Peterson gave me advice, tips, friendship," wrote Neil Patrick Harris. "She just passed away at age 43. #RIP."

Sarah Michelle Gellar echoed that sentiment writing, "When I was younger, I used to want to be #AmandaPeterson. I even asked my mom for a white leather fringe jacket #RipAmandaPeterson."

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