MEDICAL EXAMINER: DRUGS CAUSED FARLEY'S DEATH

Comedian Chris Farley died of an accidental overdose of cocaine and
morphine, the medical examiner announced today.

A narrowing of the arteries supplying the heart muscle was a significant
contributing factor in his death, Cook County Medical Examiner Dr. Edmund
Donoghue said in a statement.

Farley's brother found the body of the 33-year-old ``Saturday Night Live''
and movie comic Dec. 18 on the floor of his apartment in the posh John
Hancock Building. Police said they found no sign of foul play or drugs in
the apartment.

But toxicology tests found morphine, a painkiller derived from opium, and
cocaine in Farley's blood. Blood tests also found fluoxetine, an
antidepressant sold as Prozac, and an antihistamine, but those did not
contribute to his death, Donoghue said.

``Both lungs showed edema and congestion, which is a common finding in
opiate intoxication,'' Donoghue wrote. ``The liver showed fatty change
which is frequently seen in heavy drinkers.''

He did not immediately return a phone call seeking further detail.

The 290-pound actor waged a continual battle against overeating, drugs and
alcohol, Farley's friends have said. Newspapers reported after his death
that he was seen on drinking binges during his last few days.

Former ``Saturday Night Live'' writer Al Franken said producer Lorne
Michaels repeatedly suspended Farley from the show and told him to get help.

``This was not something where people around him ignored (his problems),''
Franken told the Chicago Tribune. ``It wasn't something where he ignored
it. It was something he didn't have power over.''

Fellow comics wept at a private funeral Dec. 23 in Madison, Wis., where
Farley grew up and went to high school.

Farley was a 1986 graduate of Marquette University in Milwaukee, where he
studied theater and communication. He joined Chicago's Second City
improvisational troupe before moving on to ``SNL,'' where he was part of
the cast from 1990-95.

He also played witless but lovable slobs in the movies ``Tommy Boy,''
``Black Sheep'' and ``Beverly Hills Ninja.''