Getty oil heir had meth in system, died of hemorrhage

[June 17, 2015]  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Andrew Getty, the grandson of billionaire oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, died of an accidental gastrointestinal hemorrhage and also had a toxic level of methamphetamine in his system, a Los Angeles coroner's official said.

Larry Dietz, watch commander at the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office, said the drugs, a duodenal ulcer and heart disease contributed to the death of the 47-year-old heir to the Getty oil fortune.

Getty was found dead on March 31 at his Hollywood Hills home. The Los Angeles Times reported that he was found on the bathroom floor by his girlfriend Lanessa DeJonge, although he had recently gotten a restraining order against her.

Getty's grandfather, J. Paul Getty, died in 1976. He had merged several smaller oil companies into Getty Oil in the 1960s.

At one time one of America's richest men, he was also an avid art collector who established the trust that funds the J. Paul Getty Museum and other institutions.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Writing by Curtis Skinner; Editing by Robert Birsel)

[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.