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Casey Johnson, Johnson & Johnson Heiress, Dies In Los Angeles
Jets owner Woody Johnson's troubled daughter Casey, who was battling drugs and alcohol, was found dead Monday in her California home.
The body of the 30-year-old socialite, whose worried parents had cut off her trust fund in an act of tough love, was discovered by her maid.
"She's dead!" the woman screamed as she ran from Johnson's West Hollywood pad just before noon, neighbors told E! Online. Cops said they don't suspect foul play.
"A toxicology [investigation] will be pending through the coroner's office," said LAPD spokeswoman Sara Faden.
Johnson's father, who had just celebrated the Jets' triumphant wild card berth in the NFL playoffs Sunday night, is devastated.
"The Johnson family is mourning its tragic loss and asks for privacy during this very difficult time," a spokesman for the heir to the Johnson & Johnson empire said.
Casey Johnson, who was a lesbian, recently announced her engagement to bisexual reality TV star Tila Tequila, 28, in an online video. Both appeared in nothing more than their bras and panties.
The pair was later photographed by paparazzi kissing in public and showing off the 17-carat diamond ring Johnson slipped onto Tequila's finger.
Monday night, a heartbroken Tequila confirmed her lover's death on Twitter, in a note dotted with texting shorthand: "Everyone please pray 4 my Wifey Casey Johnson," Tequila wrote. "She has passed away."
Johnson's demise punctuates the life of an upper East Side rich girl, who grew up in the lap of luxury and was pals of Paris and Nicky Hilton, the godmother of Johnson's adopted daughter.
"I've known Casey since I was a baby," Paris Hilton told Life & Style magazine. "She had a big heart and she was a good friend. I feel so sad, I don't want to believe it. My condolences go out to her family and loved ones."
Partied too hard
Casey moved to Los Angeles eight years ago and quickly became fodder for gossip columns as the hard-partying heiress to the Johnson & Johnson fortune.
She battled drug and alcohol addictions and failed numerous rehab stints. She was also diagnosed with juvenile diabetes as a little girl, a friend told the Daily News.
"Of course, the drinking and drug-taking didn't help," said the friend. "She was active in raising public awareness about juvenile diabetes. But, she abused her own body."
The friend said Casey's parents were at a loss as to how to help straighten her life out.
"They supported her lifestyle for a long time, but, lately, they'd been keeping their distance from her, trying to show some tough love," the friend said. "But I'm sure they're devastated and racked with guilt."
In a 2007 interview, Johnson sounded like she was turning her life around, announcing she had founded a skin care line called Journey.
She also discussed her adoption of a daughter, Ava, now 3, from Kazakhstan early in 2007.
Johnson told LXTV that she was determined not to spoil her daughter like she was as a child.
"When she gets to be like 8, 9, 10, 11 years old, and she says, 'Mommy, I want this,' she's not going to get everything she wants," Johnson said.
"I did growing up, and when it was my turn to handle my own money it became a problem," she said. "I'm used to going to Bergdorf's and having a personal shopper, and buying whatever I want and charging it to my dad."
A friend said Johnson's life seemed to be spiraling out of control after her mother, Sale, took custody of her daughter to "get her out of harm's way."
She came to New York recently to battle to get her daughter back, but was hampered by finances that were in shambles.
Her father recently cut off her trust fund because she couldn't sober up, friends said.
"She was a lost little girl who just wanted to be loved," AOL's Popeater columnist Rob Shuter, who had lunch with Casey about eight months ago, told The News.
"She had a difficult relationship with her family's huge wealth. She loved the life it gave her, but it also made everything she did feel worthless," Shuter said.
"She once described her family money as the 'golden handcuffs.' She was the ultimate little, lost rich girl," he said.
Trouble with the Law
In November, Casey was arrested on grand theft charges, accused of breaking into the Hollywood apartment of her ex-girlfriend, fashion model Jasmine Lennard.
"I tried to get her off drugs and alcohol," Lennard recently said in a published report. "I tried to get her into a 12-step program. I tried to help take care of her daughter. I've given her money."
Friends and neighbors of Woody Johnson at his home on Columbus Circle expressed shock at the death of a young woman who seemingly had all the privileges of wealth.
"She's a wonderful woman and she'll be dearly missed," a family friend said Monday night. "It's a horrible loss."
Another family friend, Suzanne Webster, called Casey "a sweet but troubled girl."
"Her family was concerned over her well-being the past year," Webster said. "She had given them pause with her behavior, but I don't think anyone expected this."
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Sources: AP, NY Daily News, MSNBC, Youtube, Google Maps
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